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NOVEMBER 2013 / Vol . 21 / No.

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NOVEMBER 2013 / Vol . 21 / No. 6

NDI integration: Faster, better and cheaper

CMCs best metal superalloys in the hot zone

Wing spars: Airbus A350 & A400M compared

Compression molding lightens aircraft interior
TABLE OF CONTENTS
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
1
54 Compression Molding
Mass Out of Aircraft
Interiors
Compression molding is fast and
efcient, but continuous-ber de-
sign requires optimization to avoid
wrinkles and shrinkage.
By Jeff Sloan
NOVEMBER
volume: twenty-one
number: six
5 From the Editor
HPC editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan
notes the role of emerging ma-
terials as composites continue
to displace aircraft metals.
7 Composites:
Perspectives &
Provocations
Consultant Dale Brosius sees
the Toray buyout of Zoltek as a
potential auto-industry game
changer.
9 By the Numbers
Gardner Business Medias di-
rector of market intelligence
Steve Kline, Jr. updates the
Composites Business Index.
11 Testing Tech
Dr. Donald F. Adams suggests
larger support and loading cyl-
inders for the Short Beam
Shear test method.
15 News
49 Calendar
50 Applications
51 New Products
52 Marketplace
53 Showcase
53 Ad Index
26 A350 & A400M Spars:
A Study in Contrasts
In three short years, GKN Aero-
space has taken its composite wing
spar manufacturing strategies to
new heights by dramatically reduc-
ing part weight, process complexity
and production-cycle duration.
By Bob Grifths
32 Nondestructive
Inspection: Better,
Faster and Cheaper
Faced with new time and cost pres-
sures, NDI system suppliers are inte-
grating inspection with manufactur-
ing to reduce its share in part cost
and cycle time.
By Michael LeGault
38 Ceramic-Matrix
Composites Heat Up
Lightweight, hard and stable at high
temperatures, CMCs are emerging
from two decades of study and de-
velopment into commercial applica-
tions.
By Karen Wood
FEATURES COLUMNS
DEPARTMENTS
ON THE COVER
At GKN Aerospace (Filton, U.K.), the
wing spars for the Airbus A350 XWB
are built up in one step by automat-
ed ber placement (AFP) on a rotat-
ing mandrel, yielding two net-shaped
parts port and starboard spars
simultaneously. GKN takes advantage
of the AFP machines ability to cut
and restart each tow independently
to build up spars separately, with a
small gap between them.
Source: GKN Aerospace
FOCUS ON DESIGN
26
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H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
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Phone: 316-946-5900 Email: SalesBurnhamCS.com
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
EDITORIAL OFFICES
CompositesWorld / PO Box 992 / Morrison, CO 80465
p: 719.242.3330 / f: 513.527.8801 / www.compositesworld.com
Mike Musselman / Managing Editor
mike@compositesworld.com
Sara Black / Senior Technical Editor
sara@compositesworld.com
Jeff Sloan / Editor-in-Chief
jeff@compositesworld.com / 719.242.3330
Dale Brosius
dale@compositesworld.com
Ginger Gardiner / Senior Editor
ggardiner@compositesworld.com
Michael R. LeGault
mlegault@compositesworld.com
Peggy Malnati
peggy@compositesworld.com
Karen Wood
karen@compositesworld.com
1519 Eastgate Dr.
Clevel and, OK 74020
918-358-5881
Fax: 918-358-3750
E-mai l :
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ISO 9001:2008
Lilli Sherman / Senior Editor
lsherman@compositesworld.com
Donna Dawson
donna@compositesworld.com
www.vesgroup.com
FIVES is proud to announce the acquisition of MAG Americas and its international
brands Cincinnati, Giddings & Lewis and Lin Machines.
FIVES is an industrial engineering group with over 200 years of history. FIVES manufactures machines, processing
equipment, production lines and turnkey plants for the biggest global companies of the aluminium, steel, glass,
cement, automotive, logistics, energy and sugar industries.
The acquisition of the world-renowned brands Cincinnati, Giddings & Lewis and Lin Machines conrms the
growth strategy of FIVES in the sector of high-performance industrial equipment.
Ever since their creation in 1859 for Giddings & Lewis and 1884 for Cincinnati, these brands have been icons of
the American machine tool industry.
1000 professionals in 5 countries will join the 6500 employees of FIVES, bringing their expertise in high-precision
machine tools and high performance composite processing machines.
In addition to these skills, this acquisition will also contribute its 400 million dollars turnover to the Group,
bringing FIVES total annual turnover to close to 2 billion euros by the end of the year.
The personnel of MAG Americas are joining the industrial success story of FIVES, famous since 1812 for works
such as the Alexandre III bridge or the lifts of the Eiffel tower in Paris.
With this acquisition, FIVES conrms its role as leader among the industrial greats of the world of tomorrow.
Designing today the plants of the future
HI
FIVES !
Pronounced [feev]
@
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EDITOR
FROM THE EDI TOR
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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5
ince before GE Avia-
tion introduced the
carbon ber com-
posite-intensive GEnx
engine for the Boeing 787
Dreamliner, manufac-
turers of the jet engines
used on commercial
aircraft have toyed with
the idea of integrating
ceramic-matrix compos-
ites (CMCs) into the hot
zones of jet engines to
reduce weight.
CMCs were held back for some time by lengthy
cycle times, high cost and feasibility issues, but in
the past year the landscape shifted considerably
for two reasons: First, in May, engine maker Rolls-
Royce acquired CMC manufacturer Hyper-Therm
HTC, signaling its intent to put the material to
use in its engines. Then, in June, GE Aviation an-
nounced it would build a new plant in Asheville,
N.C. for the manufacture of CMC jet engine parts.
Both actions signaled serious and substantial
commitment of capital to development and com-
mercial application of a material whose time, ap-
parently, has come.
The story behind this shift is explored in depth
S
ties. Each makes business de-
cisions based on careful cost/
benet analysis and prospects
for long-term success. So, how
is it that Pratt & Whitney deems
CMCs a nonstarter, while GE
Aviation and Rolls-Royce see
the material as a major ingre-
dient of their future engine de-
signs?
It may be that Pratt & Whit-
neys corporate culture is more
risk averse, and perhaps that is
the sum total what separates two yes votes from a
no vote, here. But I see an additional factor at work:
Early adopters become early adapters.
Clearly, GE Aviation and Rolls-Royce see in
CMCs real potential for lightweighting their en-
gines. But that does not make them any less inter-
ested than Pratt & Whitney in avoiding risk. GE and
Rolls-Royce have risked plenty, buying
a company and opening a new plant,
respectively. But I argue that once a
company makes such a decision, the
same desire to avoid risk makes these
early adopters into energetic and cre-
ative adapters. Rolls-Royce and GE
Aviation understand clearly that applying CMCs to
engines is not a slam dunk. If it were easy it would
have been done already.
With each investment, then, comes a powerful
incentive to make that investment pay off. The deci-
sion to adopt a new material makes the organiza-
tion an eager innovator, willing to be more aggres-
sive and think outside the proverbial box from
the lab table to the shop oor to make the risk
worth the taking. When a company invests heavily
in a new technology, employees take notice. They
see that their employer is venturing into new terri-
tory, and they want to make that venture successful.
And they want to be a part of that success.
For those who adopt early, and those who dont,
the risk is similar missing the future. But early
adapters make trails that, if successfully blazed,
others can only follow..
jeff@compositesworld.com
Jeff Sloan
this month starting on p. 38. Author Karen Wood
reveals just how seriously CMCs are being as-
sessed, and where and how theyll be used in next-
generation jet engines.
Youll also notice, in the article, that a third
player in the commercial jet engine market, Pratt
& Whitney, reports that it has decided, at least for
now, against use of CMCs due to concerns about
the maturity of the material. When you read this,
you might wonder, as I did, about how to make
sense of these decisions.
Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney are
multi-billion dollar companies. Each has manufac-
tured quality jet engines for decades. Each employs
engineers and material scientists who must have
approximately equivalent knowledge and abili-
The decison to adopt a new material makes the
organization an eager innovator, willing to be more
aggressive and think outside the proverbial box.
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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7
TESTING TECH
COMPOSI TES:
PERSPECTI VES & PROVOCATI ONS
Dale Brosius is
head of his own
consulting com-
pany and the
president of Day-
ton, Ohio-based
Quickstep Com-
posites LLC, the
U.S. subsidiary of
Aust r al i a-based
Quickstep Tech-
nologies (Bankstown Airport, New South
Wales), which develops out-of-autoclave
curing processes for advanced composites.
His career includes a number of positions at
Dow Chemical, Fiberite and Cytec, and for
three years he served as the general chair
of SPEs annual Automotive Composites
Conference and Exhibition (ACCE). Bro-
sius has a BS in chemical engineering from
Texas A&M University and an MBA. Since
2000, he has been a contributing writer for
Composites Technology and High-Perfor-
mance Composites.
O
TORAY + ZOLTEK = POTENTIAL GAME CHANGER?
n Sept. 27, Toray Industries (Tokyo,
Japan) announced the company had
agreed to acquire all the outstand-
ing shares of Zoltek Inc. (St. Louis, Mo.)
for approximately $584 million (USD),
subject to shareholder and regulatory
approval. At rst glance, the transaction
is a merger of opposites, considering
the differences in company culture, lan-
guage, management style and product
lines. Although it is easy to nd reasons
why such a marriage is destined to fail,
there also are good reasons to think the
move could truly transform the carbon -
ber industry.
Torays reputation in the carbon -
ber market is unparalleled. Financially
strong and fundamentally conservative,
this Japanese chemicals and bers com-
pany has been considered the market
and technical leader in carbon bers for
at least the past two decades. Toray is
the product-quality benchmark against
which all other suppliers are measured,
and often commands a premium price as
a result. Torays product line in high-per-
formance PAN-based bers is exception-
ally broad, ranging from standard-mod-
ulus materials used in sporting goods,
to ultrahigh-modulus bers prevalent
in satellite structures. Toray is the prin-
cipal supplier of bers and prepregs for
the primary structures of the Boeing 787
Dreamliner and other Boeing aircraft. As
the worlds largest supplier of small-tow
ber, the company has carefully planned
capacity expansions to maintain its mar-
ket position.
By contrast, Zoltek established a
reputation over the same two decades
as the company intent on upsetting the
status quo, creating a market position
perhaps best described as everything
but aerospace and, in many ways, the
antithesis of Toray. In the mid-1990s,
Zolteks stock was a high yer, predicat-
ed on the promise of large volumes of
low cost ber ($5/lb, or $11/kg) for mass-
production applications in the automo-
tive, oil and gas and, later, wind energy
markets. Rapid capacity expansions
in Europe and North America stressed
the company nancially, given the re-
current volatility in global carbon ber
demand and pricing. Zolteks 50K large
tow provided a challenge to many pro-
cessors who were used to handling typi-
cal 12K or 24K bers. And achieving a
sustainable economic advantage proved
elusive, as did $5/lb ber. Although the
wind energy market nally provided a
stable base of demand, the hoped-for
uptake in the automotive and oil and
gas arenas did not materialize.
Pressed by key shareholders early in
2013, Zoltek began exploring strategic
alternatives, including a sale of the com-
pany. Its easy to envision any number
of reasonable acquirers, given various
announcements by large chemical and
ber companies during the past several
years. So it came as a bit of a surprise
to see Toray play the aggressor, because
the two companies, on the surface, seem
like polar opposites in the carbon ber
marketplace. But, looking a little deeper,
an intriguing synergy emerges.
Like numerous others, I have noted
a long trend toward conuence in the
industrial and aerospace markets as it
pertains to carbon ber and the con-
version of this versatile material into
strong, lightweight parts. This has led to
a lot of cross-fertilization of manufactur-
ing methods and material forms across
many industries.
Looking back, Toray has steadily in-
creased its presence in the automotive
arena for more than a decade. It has sup-
plied prepregs for GMs Corvette platform
since 2001, as well as lament-wound
driveshafts to Mazda, Nissan and Mit-
subishi. In the past ve years, Toray has
established an automotive development
center in Japan, taken a 20 percent stake
in parts maker ACE Advanced Composite
Engineering GmbH (Immenstaad, Ger-
many), established Euro Advanced Car-
bon Fiber Composites GmbH (Esslingen,
Germany) in a joint venture with auto-
maker Daimler AG (Stuttgart, Germany),
purchased a niche producer of carbon
ber automotive parts in Japan and, in
July 2013, purchased a 20 percent stake
in Plasan Carbon Composites (Wixom,
Mich.), the supplier of nished carbon
ber parts for the Corvette.
The missing piece for Toray was low-
cost carbon ber that would make the
economics work in the quest to replace
steel and aluminum in cars. Zoltek pro-
vides that missing ingredient and has
signicant capacity in low-cost pre-
cursor and carbonization lines. Just as
signicant, the Toray name legitimizes
large tow as the future of the carbon
ber industry.
Although the stated objective is that
Zoltek will operate as a standalone sub-
sidiary, it stands to reason that Toray
will invest plentiful resources from its
core bers business to upgrade Zolteks
facilities and product quality, drive cost
down, and accelerate market acceptance
of Zoltek products, not only in the auto-
motive arena, but in other markets in-
cluding aerospace.
If Torays strategy is successful, two de-
cades from now, well point back to this
as the watershed event for the industry. It
will be exciting to watch.
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
9
BY THE NUMBERS
BY THE NUMBERS
Steve Kline is the
director of market
intelligence for Gard-
ner Business Media
Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio),
the parent company
and publ i sher of
Hi gh-Per f or mance
Composi tes. Kl i ne
holds a BS in civil
engi neeri ng f rom
Vanderbilt University
and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati.
I
COMPOSITES BUSINESS INDEX 49.0: CONTRACTION SLOWS AGAIN
n August, a Composites Business In-
dex of 48.2 showed that composites
business activity had contracted for a
third consecutive month, but at a slower
rate, indicating a possible break with its
downward trend. Two subindices made
positive contributions: Employment
grew for the sixth straight month, and
suppler deliveries continued their long-
term lengthening trend. Production and
exports continued to contract, but did
so at slower rates. Exports, in particular,
had contracted at a steadily slower rate
since December 2012. New orders con-
tracted for the fourth consecutive month.
The only subindex to negatively impact
the CBI was backlogs. In August, it con-
tracted for the 15
th
month and had done
so faster each month since February.
Material prices increased in August at
their slowest rate since November 2012.
Prices received increased slightly after
decreasing three of the previous four
months. Future business expectations
fell a bit after leveling for six months.
One month does not a trend make,
but August activity based on plant size
appeared to shift. Fabricators with 250+
employees contracted for the rst time
since November 2012. Those with fewer
than 19 employees continued to con-
tract, but at a much slower rate. The
small facility index, however, moved up
to 43.9 from 38.9 in July. Those with 50-
249 employees continued strong.
Four regions expanded in August. The
fastest rate was in West South Central,
which had grown ve of the previous
seven months. Meanwhile, New Eng-
land, the South Atlantic and the Middle
Atlantic all moved from contraction to
expansion. But the West North Central,
which had strong growth the previous
ve months, fell off sharply.
Future capital spending plans were
just above the historical average.
Gardners September CBI, 49.0, showed
that business activity contracted at a
slower rate for the second consecutive
month. But September still marked a
fourth consecutive month of contraction.
Four of the six subindices made posi-
tive contributions to the overall CBI in
September. The largest jump came in
the backlogs, which moved to 43.5 from
39.7. However, backlogs have contracted
since May 2012. Production also jumped
signicantly to growth from contrac-
tion. Production has grown seven of
the nine months this year. New orders
reached its highest level since May.
Also positive was supplier deliveries,
which lengthened slightly. Employment
grew for the seventh consecutive month
but at a slightly slower rate. This had a
slightly negative impact on the overall
index. The worst performer was exports,
which dropped to 46.0 from 48.3. Exports
have contracted for 17 months.
Material prices increased at a faster
rate in September, but the rate of in-
crease was the second slowest since No-
vember 2012. Prices received by compos-
ite fabricators jumped to 52.1 from 50.3.
This was the second month in a row that
prices received increased at a faster rate.
Future business expectations fell slightly
but were still above the lower levels re-
corded in the second half of 2012.
After contracting in August, fabrica-
tors with more than 250 employees grew
in September. Facilities with 100 to 249
employees continued strong, growing
their fastest rate since July 2012. Fabrica-
tors with fewer than 100 employees con-
tracted in September. Facilities with 50 to
99 employees contracted for the second
time in 2013. Fabricators with 20 to 49
employees saw their best business con-
ditions since March, this year.
Two regions, the West South Central
and the Middle Atlantic, grew for the sec-
ond month in a row. New England and
the South Atlantic moved from growth to
contraction. The East North Central, Pa-
cic, and West North Central contracted,
again, but at a slower rate.
Future capital spending plans were at
their lowest level since March 2013. How-
ever, planned expenditures were 11 per-
cent higher than in September 2012.
THE COMPOSITES BUSINESS INDEX FOR SEPTEMBER 2013
Subindices September August Change Direction Rate Trend
New Orders 48.6 47.4 1.2 Contracting Slower 1
Production
51.7 49.0 2.7 Growing
From
Contracting
1
Backlogs 43.5 39.7 3.8 Contracting Slower 16
Employment 51.4 51.9 -0.5 Growing Slower 7
Exports 46.0 48.3 -2.3 Contracting Slower 17
Supplier
Deliveries
52.8 52.6 0.2 Lengthening More 22
Material Prices 60.6 58.4 2.2 Increasing More 22
Prices Received 52.1 50.3 1.8 Increasing More 2
Future Business
Expectations
64.3 65.4 -1.1 Improving Less 22
Composites
Business Index
49.0 48.2 0.8 Contracting Slower 4
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
1 1
TESTI NG TECH
TESTING TECH
Dr. Donal d F.
Adams i s the
president of Wyo-
ming Test Fixtures
Inc. (Sal t Lake
Ci ty, Utah). He
holds a BS and an
MS in mechanical
engineering and
a Ph.D in theo-
retical and applied
mechanics. Following a total of 12 years
with Northrop Aircraft Corp., the Aero-
nutronic Div. of Ford Motor Co. and the
RAND Corp., he joined the University of
Wyoming, directing its Composite Mate-
rials Research Group for 27 years before
retiring from that post in 1999. Dr. Adams
continues to write, teach and serve with
numerous industry groups, including the
test methods committees of ASTM and
the Composite Materials Handbook 17.
I
THE SHORT BEAM SHEAR TEST METHOD FOR COMPOSITE MATERIALS
n my previous column, I briey cit-
ed the Short Beam Shear (SBS) test
method as a much more attractive in-
terlaminar shear test method than the
double-notch shear test method. The
primary attraction of the SBS method for
many users is the simplicity, the small
size of the test specimen and the ease
with which the test can be performed. As
a result, the SBS method is widely used.
Yet it is not without its detractors.
The test method loads a beam speci-
men in three-point bending, as shown in
Fig. 1. The term short beam indicates
that the support span length, s, is a low
multiple of the specimen thickness, t. The
goal is to force the beam specimen to fail
in a shear mode. This can be achieved
because the shear stress is independent
of the support length, whereas the exur-
al (bending) stresses are a linear function
of the support length. Thus, the shorter
the beam, the greater the shear stress
relative to the bending stresses.
The SBS test method was rst stan-
dardized by ASTM in 1965, as ASTM D
2344, and titled Apparent Interlaminar
Shear Strength of Parallel Fiber Compos-
ites by Short-Beam Method. The stan-
dard suggested using a support span
length-to-specimen thickness ratio, s/t,
of 5 for glass-ber-reinforced compos-
ites and 4 for all other reinforcing bers,
including carbon, steel, boron, aramid
and so forth. The questionable distinc-
tion for glass bers was based primarily
on some limited analytical studies that
were being conducted at the time. The
use of apparent in the title was to ac-
knowledge that the shear stresses in the
short beam are not only not uniform,
but also are accompanied by tensile and
compressive axial stresses as well as
through-the-thickness tensile and com-
pressive stresses. Simply put, it was well
known that the SBS method was not a
pure shear test, as would have been
desirable. Nevertheless, it was consid-
ered a shear test.
In the 2000 revision of ASTM D 2344,
however, the title was altered to Short-
Beam Strength of Polymer Matrix Com-
posite Materials and Their Laminates.
The word shear was deleted from
the title and from the denition of the
strength quantity it measures. In spite
of these negative implications, the SBS
test continues to be used extensively for
the same reason as always it is easy
to perform and can provide a good com-
parative assessment of material perfor-
mance, even if it does not necessarily
provide accurate quantitative data.
Notably, the revised method elimi-
nated the separate s/t ratio for glass ber
composites. The standard now species
that s/t = 4 be used for all types of ber-
reinforced polymers. And although the
originally dened 0.250-inch diameter
loading cylinder and 0.125-inch diam-
eter specimen support cylinders were
retained, consistent with ASTMs deci-
sion to require soft rather than hard
conversions from U.S. customary units
to SI units, the SI equivalent diameters
became 6 mm and 3 mm rather than the
previous 6.35 mm and 3.2 mm.
The soft conversions raise an obvi-
ous question: Is it necessary to use different
cylinders if a test is being conducted per the SI
version of the standard? The strict answer,
of course, is yes. But it has been clearly
demonstrated during the past decade
(see Adams and Busse,
1
which referenc-
es a number of other studies) that small
changes in cylinder diameter make little
difference in the test results.
Further, these studies have demon-
strated experimentally and numerically
that larger cylinder diameters are bene-
cial because they induce more uni-
a) Current Test Conguration
s/t = 4
Loading cylinder diameter = 6 mm/0.250 inch
Support cylinder diameters = 3 mm/0.125 inch
b) Proposed Test Conguration
s/t = 6
Loading cylinder diameter = 12 mm/0.500 inch
Support cylinder diameters = 6 mm/0.250 inch
t
s
Fig. 1 Short Beam Shear specimen test configurations.
Typical specimen thickness assumed: t = 2.5 mm/0.100 inch
Support span = s
Specimen overhang = specimen thickness
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H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
TESTING TECH
form stresses within the beam specimen.
Using small-diameter cylinders introduc-
es high local stress concentrations. Larg-
er cylinders spread the applied load over
a wider specimen surface area, resulting
in more uniform internal stress states in
the specimen. In fact, it would be logical
to size the cylinders in proportion to the
specimen thickness and, thus, the antici-
pated failure load. However, this has not
yet been proposed and, perhaps, is not
practical. A standard loading cylinder
diameter as large as 25 mm/1 inch has
been suggested.
1
However, considering
the small thickness of a typical speci-
men, a loading cylinder diameter of 12.7
mm/0.50 inch, with a corresponding di-
ameter of 6.35 mm/0.25 inch for the sup-
port cylinders, is a more practical option
(Fig. 1b).
Note that, for the three-point bending
SBS test depicted in Fig. 1, the reaction
forces at the supports are one-half the
force applied on the loading cylinder,
justifying the use of smaller support
cylinders. In fact, if the test specimen is
relatively thin, there isnt sufcient space
between the support points to accom-
modate a large-diameter cylinder. For
example, on a typical 2.5-mm/0.10-inch
thick specimen with a support span ra-
tio of 6, the distance between supports
will be a mere 15 mm/0.60 inch, indicat-
ing that the largest support cylinder di-
ameter can be only 15 mm/0.60 inch. Of
course, it isnt necessary to use full cylin-
ders because it is only the radius of the
surface in contact with the specimen that
is signicant.
These same studies also have shown
that the s/t ratio has a strong inu-
ence on the obtained apparent shear
strength and the failure mode. From
Fig. 1a, it can be inferred that, as s/t de-
creases from the value of 4, the support
cylinders get closer to being directly
under the loading cylinder, and there
will be more of a through-the-thickness
crushing of the specimen, rather than
bending, thus altering the failure mode
away from shear.
Correspondingly, if s/t becomes too
great that is, if the specimen is no lon-
ger a short beam the previously noted
exural (axial tensile or compressive)
failures will occur rather than a shear
failure. Most likely, there will be com-
pressive failures at or near the specimen
5-Axis Machining Centers ForComposites
Phone: 330.920.9200, ext 137 Fax: 330.920.4200 Website: www.quintax.com E-Mail: sales@quintax.com
surface under the loading point, where
the stress concentrations occur. Studies
indicate that an s/t ratio in the range of
4 (the current ASTM recommendation)
to 9 is favorable.
1
Therefore, standard-
izing a ratio of 6 or 7 would be reason-
able. In this s/t range, there is typically
one large and abrupt load drop at failure,
with shear cracks visible at or near the
midthickness of the specimen, typically
in the region midway between the load-
ing and support points where the shear
stress is greatest.
In summary, it is suggested that ASTM
D 2344 be revised to specify an s/t ratio of
6, a loading cylinder diameter of 12.7
mm/0.50 inch and a support cylinder di-
ameter of 6.35 mm/0.25 inch, as depicted
in Fig. 1b. These modications are minor,
will have relatively little inuence on di-
rect comparisons of new results with
legacy values, and will provide more con-
sistent shear failure modes.
Re f e r e n c e
1
Adams, D.F., and Busse, J.M., Suggested
Modications of the Short Beam Shear Test
Method, Proceedings of the 49
th
International
SAMPE Symposium (Long Beach, Calif.), May
2004.
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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1 5
NEWS
NEWS
B
First ights: Bombardiers CS100, Boeings 787-9 Dreamliner take to the air
CSeries milestone marks start of ight-test program for new aircraft family
ombardier Aerospace (Montral,
Qubec, Canada) celebrated the
successful rst ight of its CSeries
aircraft on Sept. 16, a major milestone
in the companys highly anticipated de-
velopment program that is expected to
provide airline operators with an all-new
composites-intensive aircraft family spe-
cically designed for the 100- to 149-seat
commercial passenger jet market seg-
ment. The maiden ight marks the start
of the CSeries ight test program.
The historic ight of CSeries ight test
vehicle one (FTV1), a CS100 jetliner,
departed from Montr al-Mirabel Inter-
national Airport at 9:55 a.m. EDT and
returned at 12:25 p.m. EDT. The perfor-
mance of the CSeries aircraft was very im-
pressive! We couldnt have wished for a
better maiden ight, says Ellis.
This is a very proud day for Bombar-
dier and a true validation of the CSeries
aircrafts design and development, and
of our extensive ground test program,
says Rob Dewar, VP and general man-
ager, CSeries Program, Bombardier Com-
mercial Aircraft. He continues, Five
years in the making, the CSeries aircrafts
rst ight is the culmination of an in-
credible amount of hard work and dedi-
cation from our employees, partners and
suppliers around the world.
Four more CS100 ight test vehicles,
currently in various stages of assembly,
will join the ight test program.
GKN Aerospace (Redditch, Worces-
tershire, U.K.), which is under contract
to Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast, to
develop and supply critical structures on
the advanced composite wings, offered
its congratulations to Bombardier on the
rst ight. Bombardiers Belfast unit is
responsible for CSeries wing production;
the wings are said to be among the larg-
est and most complex composite aircraft
structures ever manufactured and assem-
bled in the U.K.
Specically, GKN Aerospace
developed, designed and now
manufactures the all-composite
aileron and winglet structures
for both the CS100 and CS300
aircraft. The companys engineer-
ing team has completed a three-
year design and development
program to create an innovative,
one-piece aileron and winglet
that minimizes structural weight
and complexity while offering
critical performance benets to
the airframe. A reportedly state-
of-the-art manufacturing and as-
sembly process also increases the speed
of manufacture and reduces production
costs.
Teijin Ltd.s (Tokyo, Japan) carbon
group, Toho Tenax, supplies carbon -
ber for major primary and secondary
composite structures on the program,
including several carbon ber types for
both dry textiles and prepregs. Virtek Vi-
sion International Inc.s (Waterloo, On-
tario, Canada) trademarked LaserEdge
projection systems eliminate the need
for physical templates by precisely pro-
jecting a template onto molds to guide
operators through the wings complex ply
layup process.
The next day, The Boeing Co.s (Se-
attle, Wash.) 787-9 Dreamliner took to the
skies for the rst time, beginning a com-
prehensive ight test program that will
culminate in certication and delivery,
predicted for mid-2014. The newest mem-
ber of the 787 family completed a 5-hour,
16-minute ight, taking off from Paine
Field in Everett, Wash., at 11:02 a.m. lo-
cal time and landing at 4:18 p.m. at Se-
attles Boeing Field. With a fuselage 20
ft/6m longer than the 787-8, the 787-9 will
carry 40 more passengers an additional
300 nautical miles (555 km). Boeing is on
track to deliver the 787-9 to launch cus-
tomer Air New Zealand in mid-2014.
Todays rst ight marks a signicant
milestone for our team, including our
partners, says Boeing Commercial Air-
planes president and CEO Ray Conner.
We ... look forward to delivery of the rst
airplane to Air New Zealand next year.
The rst 787-9 will be joined in ight
test by two additional planes. Those air-
planes are in the nal stages of assembly
in Boeings Everett factory.
Over the coming months, the eet will
be subjected to a variety of tests and
conditions to demonstrate the safety
and reliability of the airplanes design.
Twenty-ve customers from around
the world have ordered 388 787-9s, ac-
counting for 40 percent of all 787 orders
received to date.

S
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c
e
:

B
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B
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1 6
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
NEWS
THE POWER OF
PFG PEEL PLY
Technology Marketing, Inc.
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& Service, Inc.
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Materials
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Aircraft Products, Inc.
562-906-3300, CA
(formerly) Aerovac
Systems Ltd.
44-1274-550-500, U.K.
Northern Composites
603-926-1910, NH
Flugzeug Union SUD
49-896-072-5393, Germany
precisionfabrics.com
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Fax 336-510-8003 Precision Fabrics is an ISO 9001 certified company
It takes both imagination and engineering to achieve ight. Today, aircraft
manufacturers trust Precision Fabrics Group to help them think beyond
existing material and processing limits. Working together, we can help you
develop products for your specic applications. For more information about
PFG Peel Ply that meets aerospace specications, call John Houston at
1-888-PEEL-PLY, or contact one of our distributors.
ompositesWorld, publisher of High-
Performance Composites and Compos-
ites Technology magazines and the
CompositesWorld Weekly e-newsletter, has
added to the agenda for Carbon Fiber
2013, Dec. 9-12, 2013, at the Crowne
Plaza Knoxville in Knoxville, Tenn. Held
this year near the U.S. governments Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge,
Tenn.), the annual events 2013 sponsors
are carbon ber oxidation equipment
manufacturers C.A. Litzler (Cleveland,
Ohio) and Harper International (Lancast-
er, N.Y.), the Knoxville/Oak Ridge Innova-
tion Valley, the Oak Ridge Carbon Fiber
Composites Consortium, ber handling
equipment source Izumi International
(Greenville, S.C.) and ber supplier Toho
Tenax America Inc. (Rockwood, Tenn.).
Carbon Fiber 2013s newest conrmed
speaker is Mathieu Boulanger, business
development director for induction-heat-
ing equipment source RocTool (Le Bour-
get du Lac, France, and Charlotte, N.C.),
whose topic is High Speed Compression
Molding by Induction.
Boulanger joins the following:
Brett Chouinard, COO, Altair En-
gineering (Troy, Mich.): Analysis and
Optimization of Composite Structures
Challenges and Opportunities.
Probir Guha, VP of R&D, Continental
Structural Plastics (Troy, Mich.): Auto-
motive Light Weighting Opportunities &
Challenges.
Tracy Albers, manager-external in-
teractions, and Chong Chen, senior re-
search scientist, GrafTech International
(Biddeford, Maine): High Temperature
Insulation from Lignin Carbon Fibers.
Chad Duty, Oak Ridge National Lab-
oratory: 3D Printing with Carbon Fiber
Reinforcement.
John Larkin, president, LTI Assoc.
(White Bear Lake, Minn.): Export Con-
trols and the Carbon Fiber Industry.
Dr. Angelos Miaris, Premium AERO-
TEC GmbH (Augsburg, Germany): Pro-
ducing Thermoplastic Matrix Compos-
ites for Aeronautical Applications under
Industrial Scale Conditions.
Hendrik Mainka, Volkswagen Group
of America Inc. (Herndon, Va.): Alter-
native Precursors for Sustainable and
CompositesWorlds
Carbon Fiber 2013
conference ready to roll
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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1 7
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ADVANCED MATERIAL
SOLUTIONS
Aircraft Interiors
Structural Aerospace
Energy
Transportation
Carbon/Carbon
Ablatives
Military/Defense
Cost-effective Automotive Carbon Fibers
Gary R. Lownsdale, CTO, Plasan Carbon Composites
(Bennington, Vt.): Next Generation Carbon Fiber Compos-
ites: Beyond Medium Volume
Neel Sirosh, CTO, Quantum Technologies Inc. (Irvine, Ca-
lif.): Carbon Fiber Powering Americas Big Rigs
Anthony Vicari, research associate, Lux Research (Bos-
ton, Mass.): Planning for Ripe Fruit: Materials Innovation
Lifecycles as a Scouting Tool
Mark Campbell, new product development, Hyperco Div.,
MW Industries (Elk Grove Village, Ill.): Development of Hy-
perco Carbon-composite Bellows Spring (CCBS) System for
Automotive Suspensions
Chris McHugh, technical manager, Sigmatex (UK) Ltd.
(Runcorn, U.K.): Application and Processing of Complex Fab-
rics for Lightweight Structures
Gary D. Roberts, research materials engineer, NASA
Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, Ohio): A Hybrid Compos-
ite/Metal Gear Concept for Rotorcraft Drive Systems
Gordon Lacy, mechanical engineer, NRC Canada (Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada): Design and Fabrication of the DVA-1 Radio
Antenna
John M. Carson, executive director, Altus Group Inc. (Lan-
caster, Pa.): Lighter, Stronger, Greener: How Carbon Fiber is
Modernizing Precast Concrete!
Aaron Barr, technology advisor, MAKE Consulting (Chi-
cago, Ill.): Carbon Fiber Usage in the Wind Energy Industry
For more information or to register, visit http://short.com-
positesworld.com/CF2013.
1 8
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
NEWS
1-775-827-6568 www. abari s. com
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oray Industries Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) is set to purchase
U.S.-based Zoltek Corp. (St. Louis, Mo.). The an-
nouncement rst hit the Internet news services on Sep-
tember 26, and Zoltek subsequently conrmed that Toray
was poised to purchase the entirety of Zolteks stakeholder
shares at $16.75 per share (total amount, approximately
$584 million). The buyout is expected to increase Torays
share of the global carbon ber market to 30 percent. The
breaking news was rst reported in the Japanese newspaper
Nikkei Business Daily. According to a Reuters story, reported
by Mridhula Raghavan in Bangalore, India, the deal offers
Toray the opportunity to start producing lower-priced in-
dustrial/commercial-grade carbon ber, thus expanding its
portfolio beyond its aerospace-grade emphasis.
Zoltek reportedly hired J.P. Morgan Securities (Clay-
ton, Mo.) as a nancial adviser earlier this year to help it
explore and evaluate strategic alternatives to maximize
shareholder value, reportedly because of a push by an
investor group, led by Jeffry Quinn, a former CEO of St.
Louis-based performance materials supplier Solutia, for
improved results at the company. Quinns Quinpario Part-
ners group, also based in St. Louis, reportedly sought, at
one point, to oust the companys board of directors, saying
new leadership was needed.
In August Zoltek had reported a quarterly loss of
$900,000, or $0.03 per share, for the three-month period
Toray Industries to buy Zoltek Inc.
T
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
1 9
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1.888.856.5143 | Info@janicki.com www.janicki.com
ending June 30, compared to a prot of
$5.6 million, or $0.16 per share, during
the same period in 2012.
Zolteks carbon ber products, tar-
geted to uses in construction and wind
turbine blades, are reportedly priced
at about 60 percent of Torays higher-
performance carbon ber. According to
Toray, global demand for PAN-based
carbon ber is expected to expand at
an annual growth rate exceeding 15
percent, as carbon ber contributes
not only to energy savings through
weight reduction but also in its role in
the renewable energy eld.
Zolteks large tow ber is anticipated
to expand PAN-based carbon bers
applications, based on its reason-
able balance of cost and performance.
These applications are expected to
include not only wind turbine blades
and other parts but also, in the future,
structural automotive parts.
Read HPC columnist Dale Brosius com-
mentary on the signicance of Torays entry
into the large-tow market, on p. 7.
2 0
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
NEWS
In the September issue of HPC, the editors missed an error
in the text of our Inside Manufacturing story, Tooling up for
larger launch vehicles. An alert reader pointed out that in
the last paragraph of the text on p. 66 (sixth line) we mis-
spelled the word require. More importantly, from a technical
standpoint, we mislabeled, in line 13, the English conver-
sion that follows the SI units for surface prole tolerance,
and we missed a stray comma. The text says 0.508 mm
(0,020 mm). The conversion in parentheses should read
(0.020 inch).
The following is the paragraph with corrections intact:
The tooling also would require support structures and
xtures to protect honeycomb-cored edges. Further,
operators would need access to the interior of the part
for core placement and vacuum bag preparation, and
would require an inner mold line (IML) surface caul with
a vacuum handling system (overhead equipment with
suction cups to facilitate moving and positioning). The
part and, therefore, the tool also would require a
surface prole tolerance of 0.508 mm (0.020 inch). The
structural design and analysis of the tooling was critical
because of the myriad requirements combined with its
scale: The tools overall dimensions would be 2.1m by
5.7m by 8.6m (6.8 ft by 18.8 ft by 28.3 ft) with a facesheet
surface area of 52.1m
2
(561 ft
2
).
HPC regrets the errors.
CORRECTION
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
2 1
t its new and much larger venue,
the Suburban Collection Showplace
and adjoining Hyatt Place Hotel in
Novi, Mich., the Society of Plastics En-
gineers (SPE) 13
th
annual Automotive
Composites Conference and Exhibition
(ACCE) hosted nearly 900 attendees,
offered a strong four-track program of
well-attended papers (photo at right)
and boasted a crowded exhibit hall (see
center photo).
As always, conference presenters
shared a wealth of information about
innovations in part design, improved
materials and more consistent, repeat-
able and efcient molding processes,
citing notable examples of successful
composite parts in production auto-
mobiles. Many of the innovations came
from Europe, where automakers are
scrambling to reduce vehicle weight to
avoid strict nancial penalties for fail-
ing to meet vehicle emission targets.
Despite one presenters statement that
the BMW i3/i8 program is equivalent to
the Boeing 787 Dreamliner program for
automotive composites, some OEM
representatives expressed, as they have
at past conferences, reservations about
full-scale adoption of composites.
Notable papers included one on mold-
ing technology from Schuler SMG GmbH
& Co. (Waghusel, Germany) by Patric
Winterhalter, who discussed vacuum-as-
sisted high-pressure resin transfer mold-
ing (RTM) for carbon ber car elements.
Schuler is working with automaker BMW
(Munich, Germany) on molding the car-
bon ber composite BMW i3 Life Module
(passenger cell), among other parts. Us-
ing this technology, a three-minute cycle
is almost within reach, says Winterhal-
ter. A few days after the event, BMW for-
mally began manufacture and assembly
of its new all-electric i3 car in Germany,
combining carbon ber composites and
injection molded plastics, as well as in-
novative production processes.
Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd.s (Tokyo,
Japan) Takeshi Ishikawa described a slit
carbon ber/thermoplastic sheet with
owability and high mechanical prop-
erties that can be quickly stamped or
molded at relatively low pressure to
create highly complex parts, including
ribs. In fact, an entire track was devoted
to carbon compos-
SPE Automotive Composites & Exhibition attracts more interest this year
A
Weber Manufacturing Technologies Inc
Tel 705.526.7896 Midland, ON
www.webermfg.ca
Precision Tooling and CNC Machining
for the Composites Industry
Invar
Steel
NVD Nickel
Precision
(continued on p. 22)
2 2
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
NEWS
the structural resin is robotically sprayed
directly on the mold surface, a preform is
placed over it and the laminate is heated
and cured under relatively low pressure
in a Quickstep hot-uid machine. The
resin ows in the z-direction to wet out
the ber and produces a Class A nish.
According to Brosius, a cycle time of 10
minutes is possible.
Several papers and keynotes discussed
new and ongoing industry collaborations
aimed at increasing the usage of com-
posites on high-production vehicles.
Greg Rucks of the Rocky Mountain Insti-
tute (RMI, Snowmass, Colo.) discussed
his groups launch pad, which aims to
reduce a vehicles cost and ensure its
life cycle value by means of composites.
Electing to focus on a few parts on main-
stream models for eets, such as a door
inner that doesnt require a cosmetic
nish, RMI is pulling together a supply
chain team to create an innovation hub
expected to produce parts by 2018.
This year, for the rst time, the in-
dustry discussion panel included two
representatives from the aluminum
industry: Doug Richman of Kaiser Alu-
minum (Bingham Farms, Mich.) and
11022 Vulcan St., South Gate, CA 90280 USA
Phone 562.923.0838 Fax 562.861.3475
email tlukich@trindustries.com
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(continued from page 21)
ites, with many speakers predicting that
strong demand for carbon ber in au-
tos will accelerate after 2015.
A standout paper presented by Marcie
Kurcz, North America business manager
for resin maker Polyscope (Geleen, The
Netherlands), outlined the design and
manufacture of the semiconvertible sun-
roof frame for Paris, France-based auto
OEM Citroens DS3 Cabrio model. De-
signed by Webasto (Munich, Germany)
and molded by Shaper (La Sguinire,
France), the frame is molded with a
modied glass-reinforced styrene maleic
anhydride (SMA) resin from Polyscope.
The composite part offers signicant
cost savings over other materials, part
integration (seven parts were combined
into one) and a 40 percent weight re-
duction compared to other considered
materials; it is an example of a viable
value proposition that clearly favored
the selection of composites. In another
session there was considerable audience
interest in a process approach offered by
Dale Brosius of Quickstep Composites
LLC (Dayton, Ohio) called Resin Spray
Transfer (RST). In this fast-cycle method,
Mario Greco of Alcoa (Pittsburgh, Pa.,
see photo on left side, p. 21). A point re-
peatedly raised by panel members was
that composites technology is certainly
possible and attractive, but adoption
repeatedly stalls when the industry tries
to make a business case because material
cost is high and processing issues re-
main unresolved. Additional challenges
center around attachments and fasten-
ing, said several panel members. As in
previous years, panelists agreed that
predictive analysis software, training
and education are still lacking in many
cases, which hampers familiarity with
composites. And most asserted that life
cycle analysis (LCA) is becoming more
important to both the OEMs and con-
sumers; those LCA analyses show that
carbon ber does not fare as well as alu-
minum, which enjoys a huge and global
recycling push.
For more about this event, watch for
expanded coverage in the December is-
sue of HPCs sister publication, Composites
Technology magazine. Visit the SPE Auto-
motive Division Web site (http://www.
speautomotive.com/aca) to access the
presentations.
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
2 3
C
omposites Europe (Sept. 17-19,
Stuttgart, Germany) has grown sub-
stantially over the past few years,
maturing into a full-edged trade show
that attracts many of the composites
industrys biggest players. The avor
remains German, but given the large
amount of composites R&D done in that
country, the location is a favorable one.
Activity on the show oor emphasized
the industrys interest in automotive ap-
plications. Several car hoods were on dis-
play, each designed to demonstrate a dif-
ferent material and process combination.
A notable example was a carbon ber/
epoxy hood design developed by the In-
stitut fr Kunststoffverarbeitung (Aachen,
Germany) and machinery maker Breyer
Composites (Singen, Germany) in coop-
eration with Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford
Motor Co. The hoods molding process
employs a gap impregnation technique.
A preform is loaded into a horizontal
press from Breyer. The press is closed, but
not fully, and the preform is supported 3
mm/0.12 inch above the mold surface by
a series of pins located on each side of
the mold. Epoxy is injected into the mold
cavity at the bottom of the tool until the
resin lls about a third of the space in the
mold. The pins then retract and the mold
closes completely. The resin is forced up
into the rest of the cavity and infuses the
entire preform. Heat is provided via circu-
lating hot water. The total cycle time is 15
minutes, and the demolded hood is ready
for paint. There is no word on whether
Ford will put this part into production.
Taking a different tack, engineering and
manufacturing rm Magna Steyr (Ober-
waltersdorf, Austria) and partners Rhl
Puromer (Friedrichsdorf, Germany), which
contributed polyurethane resin knowl-
edge, and Hennecke (Sankt Augustin,
Germany), the molding equipment sup-
plier, developed a demo hood based on
glass ber/polyurethane cored with paper
honeycomb. Hennecke ofcials say their
goal is not to save weight, but rather to
accelerate production and meet European
pedestrian-impact requirements. The core
and ber are inserted into the mold and
surrounded by a gap of 0.8 to 1 mm (0.032
to 0.039 inch). Polyurethane is injected
into the gap, then it is pressed and cured.
The process results in a nished part with
a Class A surface every ve minutes.
Composites Europe sheds light on emerging automotive composites
Moldmaker Frimo (Lotte, Germany)
split the difference, showing its own
demo hood that comprises carbon ber
faceskins and a foam core from 3D Core
(Herford, Germany) infused with foaming
polyurethane in a low-pressure process.
Paint is applied in-mold, so the parts
emerge nished with a highly textured
surface. The process, say Frimo ofcials,
has a ve-minute cycle time.
A fully assembled, functional BMW
i3 electric-powered commuter car was
on exhibit and SGL Group (Wiesbaden,
Germany) introduced a line of nonwoven
carbon ber fabrics manufactured from
scrap generated during i3 production. A
stitched variation is used in the i3 roof.
Continuing the automotive theme, Ten-
Cate Advanced Composites (Nijverdal,
The Netherlands) and Kringlan Compos-
ites AG (Otelngen, Switzerland) reported
that they had signed a memorandum of
understanding to develop solutions for
manufacturing parts based on thermo-
plastic composites. Kringlan, with Ten-
Cates help, designed and manufactured
a fully carbon ber-reinforced composite
wheel. It includes a single-shot rim and
a spoke module that is assembled and
bonded separately before integration
with the rim. The process is based on
press molding and produces a wheel ev-
ery 10 minutes, offering a 30 to 40 percent
weight savings compared to aluminum
wheels. Series production is expected in
2014 for a high-end sports car. The ber is
T700 from Toray Industries (Tokyo, Japan).
The resin is supplied by SABIC (Sittard,
The Netherlands).
A new trade group was announced at
the show. Composites Germany, formed
by AVK-Industrievereinigung Verstrkte
Kunststoffe eV, Carbon Composites eV,
CFK-Valley Stade eV and Forum Com-
posite Technology in the VDMA, will
focus on public relations, technology
innovation and promotion, trade fairs
and training. Organization ofcials also
pledged to work with government of-
cials in Berlin, Germany, and Brussels,
Belgium, to raise the prole of compos-
ites among political leaders.
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parts solution. For 35 years North Coast Tool & Mold
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
2 5
in the design of structural sandwich poly-
mer composites, primarily for ight ve-
hicles. The information in the volume in-
cludes test methods, material properties,
design and analysis techniques, quality
control and inspection and repair of sand-
wich structures in military and commer-
cial vehicles.
CMH-17 provides guidance to those
who design and fabricate end items from
composite materials, and includes prop-
erties of composite materials that meet
specic data requirements as well as
guidelines for design, analysis, material
selection, manufacturing, quality control
and repair. SAE International published
the rst three volumes in July 2012:
Volume 1: Polymer Matrix Composites:
Guidelines for Characterization of Structural
Materials
Volume 2: Polymer Matrix Composites:
Materials Properties
Volume 3: Polymer Matrix Composites:
Materials Usage, Design, and Analysis
To purchase CMH-17 volumes, visit
www.cmh17.org/resources.aspx.
AE International (Warrendale, Pa.)
announced in September that it had
completed two new volumes for the
Composite Materials Handbook (CMH-17) se-
ries. Metal-matrix composites and struc-
tural-sandwich composites are the top-
ics of the two newest titles. SAE and the
Composite Materials Handbook 17 orga-
nization (Wichita, Kan.) agreed in June to
work together on publishing the initial
release of the handbook volumes, which
will be produced in print, on DVD and
in other electronic formats. CMH-17 is
a six-volume engineering reference tool,
previously known as MIL-HDBK-17, that
contains more than 1,000 records of the
latest test data for polymer-matrix (Vol-
umes 1, 2, and 3), metal-matrix (Volume
4), ceramic-matrix (Volume 5) and struc-
tural-sandwich (Volume 6) composites.
We are pleased to be working togeth-
er with CMH-17 through Wichita State
University to publish and market this
next generation of the Composite Materials
Handbook, says Kevin Jost, editorial di-
rector, SAE International. The Handbook
has proven to be a valuable resource for
aerospace engineers over the years, and
we look forward to making it available to
SAE International members and beyond.
Developed over many years by an
international consortium of engineer-
ing organizations, CMH-17 provides an
overview of composites engineering that
evolves to reect new advances.
Composite Materials Handbook Volume 4:
Metal Matrix Composites includes proper-
ties on metal-matrix composite mate-
rial systems for which data are available
that meet the specic requirements of
the handbook. In addition, it provides
selected guidance on other technical top-
ics related to this class of composites, in-
cluding material selection, material spec-
ication, processing, characterization
testing, data reduction, design, analysis,
quality control and repair of typical metal-
matrix composite materials.
The second new volume, Composite Ma-
terials Handbook Volume 6: Structural Sandwich
Composites, updates the cancelled Military
Handbook 23, which was prepared for use
Latest volumes of CMH-17 now published and available
S
Greensboro, NC
TEL (336) 373.5933
Hampton, NH
TEL (603) 926.1910
www.northerncomposites.com
email: info@northerncomposites.com
1
9
65-201
3
N
O
R
T
H
E
R
N COM
P
O
S
I
T
E
S
48
th
ANNIVERSARY
ISO9001:2008 AS9120-A
Technical sales & service for:
CYTEC PROCESS MATERIALS: (Formerly Richmond Aircraft Products)
VAC-PAK

vacuum bagging lms, release lms, breather and bleeder fabrics,


vacuum bag sealant tapes, pressure sensitive tapes, valves and hoses.
MITSUBISHI RAYON CARBON FIBER AND COMPOSITES: (Formerly Newport)
Woven and undirectional structural prepegs, lm adhesives, core splice lm and
TOWPREG impregnated rovings.
PRECISION FABRICS GROUP: Nylon, polyester, and Kevlar peel ply, Value Ply
and release fabrics.
BGF INDUSTRIES: Woven E-glass, S-glass, aramid and carbon ber fabrics.
HENKEL:
FREKOTE

: Mold sealing, cleaning and release products.


HYSOL

: Aerospace paste adhesives, specialty resins and primers.


ALODINE

and TURCO

: Surface treatment systems, cleaners, deoxidizers,


etchants, conversion coatings, strippers and maskants.
TENCATE: AmberTool and 3M nanosilica fortied tooling prepregs.
DIAB: DIVINYCELL

: F, P, H, HT & HP grade foam sandwich cores.


3M
TM
: SPECIALTY TAPES: Splicing, sealing, bonding, fastening and shielding tapes.
BCC: Manufacturer of plastic tooling systems including modeling board, epoxy,
urethane and silicone materials.
ANNIVE
R
S
A
R
Y
0
2
HPC
Charter
Advertiser
2 6
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / AIRBUS WING SPAR UPDATE
he GKN Aerospace (Filton, U.K.)
factory in the Western Approach
of the U.K. is dedicated to wing
spar manufacturing. It produces
the front and rear spars for the
Airbus A400M military cargo transport
and the rear spar for the Airbus A350.
HPC covered A400M spar manufactur-
ing in 2006, when it was produced at
GKNs site on the Isle of Wight, U.K. (see
Learn More, p. 31). Since then, A400M
spar production has been transferred to
the new dedicated spar facility in West-
ern Approach (see far right photo, p. 27)
to take advantage of synergies with the
A350 spar operation and benet from
close proximity to the Airbus wing de-
sign center in Filton. As the rst ight of
the A350 drew near this year, HPC visited
the facility to get an update on GKNs
process for the A350 spar.
The A400M and A350 spars:
Different by design
Wing spars can be thought of as simple
tapered C-shaped channels that make
up the front and rear of the wingbox. But
this is an oversimplication, because it
ignores the hidden complexities of the
wing design. First, there is the shape
of the wing, dictated by aerodynamic,
structural and ground-clearance require-
ments. Close examination of the A350
spars reveals that the inner spar has a
very signicant curvature. This is be-
cause the A350 inner wing is formed into
a curved gull-wing shape. By contrast,
the A400Ms wing is virtually straight,
making the spar a simpler shape to man-
ufacture (see photos, top of p. 28).
The structural issues add further com-
plexity to the spar layup, due to the very
high load inputs that occur at various
A350 & A400M
wing spars:
A STUDY IN
CONTRASTS
In three short years,
GKN Aerospace has
taken its composite
wing spar manufactur-
ing strategies to new
heights by dramatically
reducing part weight,
process complexity
and production-cycle
duration.
T
BY BOB GRIFFITHS
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
2 7
points along the length of the spar. At-
tachments points for the engines, main
landing gear (on the A350 only, because
the A400M has a fuselage-mounted
main undercarriage), aps and other
control surfaces require localized in-
Automatic fiber placement
machine with spar mandrel
The A350 wing spars are built up in one
step by automated fiber placement on a
rotating mandrel, yielding two net-shaped
parts port and starboard spars
simultaneously.
Specializing in wing spars
The GKN Aerospace (Filton, U.K.) factory (photo, far right) in the Western Approach of the
U.K. produces the front and rear spars for the Airbus A400M military cargo transport and the
rear spar for the Airbus A350 (above).
creases in laminate thickness at the at-
tachment points. In other attachment
areas, sacricial woven carbon is added
under attachment points or, if the at-
tached component is aluminum, a layer
of woven glass is added.
The length of the A350 spar is con-
siderably longer, at 34m/111.5 ft, than
the A400M spar, which measures only
19m/62.3 ft long. Further, the A400M spar
is made in two sections, but the A350
spar is made in three.
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2 8
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / AIRBUS WING SPAR UPDATE
A350 and A400M spars:
Vive la diffrence!
The A350 and A400M spars, designed
five years apart, reflect some significant
differences. The A350 spar (above) is more
complex, with an optimized design that
reduces weight. Made in three sections
rather than the A400Ms two, and curved
where the A400M spar is straight (photo at
left). The A350 spar, however, requires less
time and fewer manufacturing steps.
ATL for the A400M spar
The A400M spar is layed up over a flat tool on this TORRESLAYUP automatic tape laying (ATL)
machine, supplied by MTorres (Torres de Elorz, Navarra, Spain).
The manufacturing strategies for each
spar also differ, for several reasons:
There were ve years between the
launch of the two programs; during that
period the automation of prepreg layup
by automated ber placement (AFP)
made major progress.
The customer changed the mate-
rial specication from a conventional
toughened epoxy to the latest-genera-
tion interlayer toughened epoxy.
The shape of the A350 spar is much
more complex.
A more optimized design was de-
sired in the A350 spar; weight savings in
commercial applications is now a great-
er priority in a time period in which fuel
savings have grown in importance.
ATL vs. AFP
The manufacturing processes for the
spars reect their differences. The A400M
spar is made by automatic tape laying
(ATL) of carbon ber over a at tool (see
bottom photo, this page). The ATL is
supplied by MTorres (Torres de Elorz, Na-
varra, Spain). This at pack of unidirec-
tional material is then hot-drape formed
(see photo, p. 30) to the nal shape over
a male tool. Then, the shaped laminate is
transferred to a female Invar tool for nal
cure. By contrast, the A350 spars are built
up in one step by AFP on a rotating man-
drel, yielding two parts (port and star-
board spars) in their net shapes at the
same time (see opening photo, p. 26).
The A400M spar is made from Cytec
(Tempe, Ariz., and Wrexham, U.K.) 977-
2 carbon ber prepreg, a material com-
monly used in military aircraft. The A350
spar is made from Hexcel (Stamford,
Conn.) M21E/IMA, a much tougher pre-
preg system than older materials. The
greater toughness is the result of a pre-
preg manufacturing technique that con-
centrates the toughening agents between
the plies, rather than uniformly distrib-
uting them throughout the matrix. Nota-
bly, this material is the standard prepreg
for all structural parts on the A350.
Given the increased complexity of the
spars geometry and the drape-forming
difculties presented by this new gen-
eration of prepregs, GKN concluded that
AFP was the lowest-risk option. This deci-
sion was made all the more easy by the
continuing improvement in AFP laydown
rates and the ability of AFP to optimize the
structure by using a more complex ply la-
yup than can be achieved with ATL.
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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2 9
Automated drilling for fasteners
The A350s middle and outer spar sections thinner, with lighter
fittings than the inner are drilled for fasteners at a robotic station
like this one, where a total of 16,000 holes are drilled per wingset.
The A350 spar: Layup and molding
Although the most obvious production improvements are seen
in the layup and tooling of the A350 spar moldings, much of the
novel production engineering has been applied to the machin-
ing and assembly processes.
The A350s C-section spars three segments average
11.5m/37.7 ft in length, with a thickness of 25 mm/0.08 ft at the
root end, which tapers to just 5 mm/0.020 inch at the wing tip
of the outermost segment. Their size and weight is difcult to
convey in words and dimensions. To put it in perspective, the
average person could lift one end of the outer spar.
The A350 spar is layed up on CFRP mandrels placed in an AFP
machine, also supplied by MTorres. GKN intends to have ve
of the machines in production; three have been delivered (at
5 million/$6.76 million each), and two more are on order. As
noted, two spars are layed up simultaneously. One might have
expected material at 90 and 45 to have been placed continu-
ously around the mandrel, from one spar onto the adjacent spar.
However, GKN takes advantage of the machines ability to cut
and restart each tow independently. Thus, the spars are built
up separately, with a small gap between them. This eliminates
a cutting step, minimizes material waste, affords greater design
freedom, yields a more fully optimized ply layout and reduces
the weight of the spar.
The hollow carbon ber mandrels were designed and manufac-
tured, and the materials were supplied, by Umeco (Heanor, Der-
byshire, U.K.) now part of Cytec Industries and doing business
as Cytec Industrial Inc., a division of Cytec Engineered Materials
Inc. (Tempe, Ariz.). Stiffness was a major challenge, with a
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The Explosion Proof Bonder--
Redefined
www.WichiTech.com
Call us for a personal demo:
(800) 776-4277 410/244-1966
Baltimore, Maryland 21201 USA
Works
on
400 Hz
Meets Class 1, Division 1 MIL-STD-810F/NEC
1113HPC UpdateA350-OK.indd 29 10/21/13 11:26 AM
3 0
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H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / AIRBUS WING SPAR UPDATE
DEFI NI NG HI GH PERFORMANCE
MI L L I NG D R I L L I NG R OU T I NG
www.sgstool.com 330-686-5700 Manufactured in the USA
SGS has designed specifc cutting tool
technologies that combine substrate,
geometry, edge preparation and coating
to withstand the complex conditions of
Composite applications requiring minimal
fber breakout and delamination.
6f08l0f ll0l00
requirement of 0.5 mm/0.020 inch or less
deection under a load of 150 kg/331 lb.
At the same time, weight targets had to
be met; for the inner mandrel, the weight
is 4 metric tonnes (8,818 lb). The machine
limit was 5 metric tonnes (11,023 lb), due
to inertia issues related to the mandrels
rotation speed, which varies depending
on whether it is laying a at area, going
around a corner or cutting a ply. To accel-
erate and decelerate, the machine has to
ght the inertia of the mandrel, which is
governed by the weight and the shape
the latter being xed by the design of the
wing. Thus the weight and the stiffness
requirements drove the mandrel design
to CFRP.
A big improvement in processing
time has been achieved by reducing the
number of consolidation cycles required
when laying up the innermost spar. In
April 2011, consolidation required many
cycles. During each cycle, the mandrel
and partial layup temperature was el-
evated using a large (about 13m by
1m/42.7 ft by 3.28 ft) bank of infrared
heaters. Then a cylindrical vacuum bag,
stored at the end of the mandrel, was
pulled over the laminate and vacuum
was applied. This was necessary, at the
time, to deliver the low void content de-
manded by Airbus. But today that repeti-
tive procedure has been displaced by a
single, room-temperature vacuum consolida-
tion after the entire laminate is layed up.
The nished laminate is transferred
from the mandrel to a female Invar tool
for curing, using vacuum lifting equip-
ment. The A350 spar is cured in one of
two autoclaves, both 16m by 3.5m (52.5
ft by 11.5 ft), with a standard cycle time
of 10 hours, including ramps. This cycle
time is used on all spars because the dif-
ference between the spars, in terms of
mass, is insignicant compared to the
tools thermal mass. Two spars are cured at
the same time, except for the inner spar,
which is done on its own. Two autoclaves
meet the needs for the production rate,
assuming a 30-minute load and unload
at the beginning and end of each cycle.
The molded spars are machined in a
double-headed tool provided by Flow
International (Kent, Wash.). A waterjet
is used to cut the spar proles, and a
conventional machining head (24,000
rpm) is used to reduce thickness in criti-
cal areas. For example, there is a 0.25
mm (0.010 inch) tolerance on the spar
height. To avoid cutting structural bers,
sacricial woven carbon ber is added
in a separate, manual operation, using
laser ply positioning to ensure accuracy.
Then the area is machined to tolerance.
Sacricial layers are bonded with col-
ored lm adhesive so technicians can
see if the structural plies are cut. Woven
glass, instead of carbon, is used where
aluminum ttings will be attached.
Finally, the spars are subjected to non-
destructive inspection (NDI) using an
ultrasonic machine of the latest phased-
array type, from GE Inspection Technolo-
Hot-drape forming system
The layed up flat pack of unidirectional
material for the A400M spar is formed to
final shape over a male tool on this massive
hot-drape forming machinery.
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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3 1
intricate problems love
direct solutions
Intricate problems of an aerospace project can
be met with direct solutions and innovations
from BASF. At BASF - The Chemical Company,
our vast experience and the solid research and
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Read this article online at http://short.
compositesworld.com/NGg59iQX.
Read more about the A400M spar
manufacturing process in Composite wing
spars carry the western worlds biggest
turboprop engines in HPC July 2006 (p. 60)
or visit http://short.compositesworld.com/
xWb2fEIe.
gies (Lewistown, Pa.). The device report-
edly spots defects down to 6 mm
2
(0.009
in
2
) in 20 percent of the time taken by
conventional NDI technologies. (See also
Nondestructive testing: Better faster
and cheaper in this issue, on p. 32.)
Drilling and assembly
Beyond spar manufacture, GKN also per-
forms a large number of assembly opera-
tions. First, a small number of brackets
are manually installed in the inside of
each spar. This facilitates mounting the
spar onto a xture to transport it around
the automated assembly workshop. The
spar, with its xture, is moved on a man-
ually guided vehicle (MGV) to the rst
station of the assembly process.
Inner spars, which are thicker and
have heavy metallic attachments for the
undercarriage and aps, are rst taken
to a large 5-axis machining center that
drills holes through the composite parts
and the metallic ttings. From there, the
holding xture and inner spar are trans-
ported to a station where fasteners are
tted. The middle and outer spars, which
are thinner and have lighter ttings, also
are taken to a robotic station where all
the holes are drilled. Altogether, on a
set of six spars required for one aircraft,
a total of 16,000 holes are drilled. (See
photo of robot with drilling head on p.
29.) Then the xture and spar are moved
to a second robotic station that applies
the fasteners after all the ttings have
been located in the xture.
The three spar sections, still on their
holding xture but with all their at-
tachments xed, are nally brought to-
gether for joining, using the data points
on their xtures. The joints feature at,
buttery-shaped CFRP plates on the
outside and inside of the web, plus an-
gled plates that join the inside of the
anges and radius.
However, the surfaces that will be
bolted together do not align perfectly,
due to slight variability in spar thick-
ness, which is due, in turn, to variations
in prepreg material thickness and slit
tape width. The solution is to measure
these surfaces using photogrammetric
equipment supplied by Steinbichler Op-
totechnik GmbH (Neubeuern, Germany).
An optical device, held in the hand of a
robot, collects data that is sent to a ma-
chining center, supplied by HG Grimme
SysTech GmbH (Wiedergeltingen, Ger-
many), which is located adjacent to the
joining xture. In the machining center,
the plates are modied to ensure that
any offset in the surfaces to be joined
is produced in a mirror image on the
surface of the joining plate. The custom
plates are then used to join the spars
three sections.
After they are successfully secured,
these joints are temporarily undone to
make the spar easier to transport to an
Airbus facility in Broughton, U.K., where
the wing is assembled.
3 2
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H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / NONDESTRUCTIVE INSPECTION UPDATE
nnovation is often a result of the push
and pull of market forces: new prod-
ucts or applications that push forward
in one industry can pull in their wake
signicant technological innovations
in a closely related eld. Such is the case
with nondestructive inspection (NDI)
technology. Historically slow and costly,
NDI accounts for as much as 25 percent of
the cost of manufacturing high-end aero-
space parts. These costs were viewed as
an unpleasant necessity and could be ab-
sorbed in big-budget, cost-plus military
programs. But the advent of the Boeing
787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 programs
sparked rapid expansion of the commer-
cial aircraft composites market, where
production deadlines and price points BY MICHAEL LEGAULT
are much less forgiving. The aerospace
composites manufacturers who serve the
commercial aircraft market are seeking
more efcient, cost-effective inspection.
And in response, NDI systems suppliers
are working with customers to commer-
cialize systems that incorporate entirely
new approaches or step changes that
represent signicant improvements in
utility, speed and cost.
Robotized NDI for
complex geometries
A number of companies are supplying
equipment and services for what is the
rst large-scale, industrial implementa-
tion of a new type of NDI, called Surface-
Adaptive, Phased-Array Ultrasound, or
Nondestructi ve
i nspecti on:
BETTER,
FASTER
AND
CHEAPER
Faced with new time
and cost pressures,
NDI system suppliers
are integrating
inspection with
manufacturing to
reduce its share in
part cost and
cycle time.
Source: iPhoton Solutions
I
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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3 3
Surface-Adaptive ULtrasound (SAUL)
for short. SAUL integrates robotics and
ultrasound scanning, and uses a unique,
surface-adaptive algorithm to conduct
faster, more accurate inspections of com-
posite parts that have complex shapes
and sharp radii. SAUL enables, for the
rst time, the inspection of curved parts
with a single, at multi-element matrix
probe. Contour Dynamics Inspections
Systems (Lvis, Quebec, Canada) is the
system designer, integrator and manu-
facturer. One unit already is installed at
EADS Composites Aquitaine (Salaunes,
France) and has been used to inspect
several shipsets of carbon ber parts for
the Airbus A350. Each shipset comprises
several hundred parts with dimensions
up to 700 by 200 by 200 mm (27.5 by 7.9
by 11.8 inches), with thicknesses of 1 to 9
mm (0.039 to 0.354 inch), and both con-
vex and concave radii with curvatures
that vary from 4 to 7 mm (0.157 to 0.276
inch). Defects of interest are delamina-
tions greater than 6 mm (0.236 inch) in
diameter and in-plane porosity greater
than 2 percent both are thresholds
for part rejection. The goal is an average
inspection time of four minutes or less
per part. Although SAUL is now used
to inspect relatively small, thin parts, it
can be adapted to inspect larger parts,
including long fuselage stiffeners and
frame sections.
The aerospace business has changed,
and we have many more parts with com-
plex shapes ... than we used to have,
says Michel Brassard, a consultant who
is under contract to Contour Dynamics
to assist with the inspection implemen-
tation. Today, NDI must become more
fully integrated with the design and
manufacturing process to meet require-
ments for efciency and cost control.
Robot automates ultrasonic NDI
for greater efficiency
Airbus Nantes (France) and EADS
Innovation Works (Ottobrunn,
Germany) are currently in the process
of qualifying LUCIE, a new noncontact
NDI system, which uses the iPLUSIII
laser ultrasonic inspection technology,
supplied by iPhoton Solutions.
Equipped with a 6-axis robot from
KUKA (Augsburg, Germany, and
Shelby Township, Mich.) mounted
on linear rails, the system has the
capability to penetrate more than
6m/19.7 ft into the interior of an
aircraft fuselage.
Adopting and adapting technologies
The SAUL technology now in use at the
EADS subsidiary incorporates three dis-
tinctive functions, each intended to im-
prove the efciency of inspection and
reduce the overall cost by more fully inte-
grating it into the manufacturing process,
which includes provision for part recog-
nition, automated part placement and
removal, and robotic ultrasonic scanning
incorporating surface-adaptive software.
SAUL incorporates nine essential pieces
of equipment (see diagram, this page):
Two conveyors for loading and
unloading parts, and a part rotator.
A 5-axis robot supplied by KUKA
(Augsburg, Germany, and Shelby
Township, Mich.).
Two cameras for part shape recogni-
tion and bar code identication.
A 5-axis robotic immersion scanner
(4.5m by 1.9m by 0.8m/14.8 ft by 6.2
ft by 2.6 ft) built by Contour Dynam-
ics Inspection Systems (Levis,
Quebec, Canada, and Wichita, Kan.).
A 3-D SINUMERIK contour controller
supplied by Siemens (Munich,
Germany, and Alpharetta, Ga.).
A 2-D, phased-array, multi-element
matrix probe supplied by IMASONIC
(Voray sur lOgnon, France).
A 64-channel MultiX, ultrasonic
phased-array controller with SAUL
surface-adaptive software supplied by
M2M (Les Ulis, France).
Commercial application for commercial airliner
Contour Dynamics has completed the first industrial implementation of its automated
Surface-Adaptive Ultrasound (SAUL) system at EADS Composites Aquitaine (Salaunes,
France), where it is used to inspect CFRP parts for the Airbus A350. A 5-axis robot
retrieves parts from a feed conveyor and places them on one of two inspection tables
within a water-filled immersion scanner. An iterative, surface-adaptive algorithm
programmed into the phased array controller allows, for the first time, the inspection of
curved parts with a single, flat matrix probe.
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Prior to inspection, the CAD drawing for
each part (drawn in CATIA, from Dassault
Systmes, Vlizy-Villacoublay, France),
is imported into Mastercam path-gen-
erating software (from CNC Software,
Tolland, Conn.) to generate a scan plan.
The geometric design data for each part
is converted into CNC codes, which,
via the SINUMERIK controller, direct
the 5-axis scanner during inspection.
Thus, the scanning plan is much like the
tooling paths generated from the CAD
drawings that are imported, via a CAM
system, into CNC-machining systems.
During the implementation, but prior to
actual inspections, Contour Dynamics
and EADS carried out extensive testing,
checking and ne-tuning the scan paths
to ensure that the efciency and quality
of the inspection were optimized.
During operation, the robot retrieves a
part from the feed conveyor and presents
it to the digital cameras, which identify
the part by the Datamatrix 2-D bar codes
on the parts surface. Each bar code cor-
responds to a part number that is, in
turn, categorized or coded by shape. The
part shape determines, via internal pro-
gramming, specically where the robot
will place it on the inspection table with-
in the immersion tank. There are two in-
spection tables, or zones, located at each
end of the tank. Within each table there
are six subzones, each of which accom-
modates parts in a variety of generic
3 4
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H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / NONDESTRUCTIVE INSPECTION UPDATE
an incident wave that is normal to the
surface (see diagrams at left). The system
records and displays time-of-ight and
amplitude data in both B-scans (vertical
cross-sections through the specimen)
and C-scans (horizontal or top views
though the specimen). Raw amplitude
vs. time data is translated into 2-D and
3-D images.
The ability of the surface-adaptive al-
gorithm to compensate for changes in
surface geometry was demonstrated in
a series of tests conducted prior to the
implementation of the SAUL inspec-
tion system at the EADS facility. In one
experiment a conventional curved ultra-
sonic array was precisely positioned over
a carbon ber composite bike steering
column, which contained release lm
discs in the laminate to simulate delami-
nation defects of less than 0.25, 0.25, 0.5
and 0.75 inch (less than 6.35, 6.35, 12.7
and 19.05 mm) in diameter (see image
at lower left). As long as the position of
the probe with respect to the curvature of
the tube was maintained precisely (i.e.,
normal to the surface) good results were
obtained in the B-scans and C-scans
(See images on p. 35). Shifting the probe
by 3 mm/0.12 inch in any direction, how-
ever, resulted in loss of signal. With the
probe in the shifted position, the surface
adaptive algorithm was turned on. This
restored the signal and matched the res-
olution of the scans obtained when the
probe was positioned correctly.
Although no formal tests have been
run to compare the efciencies and in-
spection costs achieved by SAUL with
those obtained by conventional phased-
array or other NDI methods, Deborah
Hopkins, CEO of M2Ms U.S. distributor,
BERCLI Corp. (Berkeley, Calif.), says the
surface-adaptive technology provides a
number of clear benets. For example,
the use of conventional phased-array ul-
trasonic methods to inspect a single hat
stiffener would require a minimum of ve
arrays two curved arrays at the radii
and three at arrays for the top and sides.
Additionally, the mandate for precise po-
sitioning of the probes, and part-to-part
variability, usually requires much manual
tweaking of xtures, software and scan
plans, which adds more time and cost.
Hopkins claims the integration of the
surface-adaptive software into ultrasonic
inspection is a boon for the aerospace
composites industry. The technology is
not trivial, and the real trick is to do it
probe along the entire length of the part
to obtain valid measurements. Unfortu-
nately, the slight part-to-part variability
associated with composites manufactur-
ing can pose a challenge to the precise
positioning of curved arrays when parts
are inspected in high volumes. Thats
why SAUL, by means of its incorporated
algorithm, uses a single at matrix probe
(located at the end of the 5-axis immer-
sion scanner), comprising an array of 4
by 16 ultrasonic elements.
The M2M controller includes all the
electronics needed to generate the elec-
trical pulses to the probes elements,
calculate and apply time delays to the
elements to focus, steer and electroni-
cally scan the ultrasonic beam, receive
the return signals and process and dis-
play the data. When SAUL is applied, the
elements of the probe are red in trans-
mission without focusing, and the shape
of the specimen is measured from the
front-surface echoes. Next, an iterative,
algorithm-controlled process is applied
that calculates time delays in real time,
adapted to the part geometry to transmit
shapes. The robot places the part on suc-
tion cups in the correct zone in the tank
(0.2-mm or 0.010-inch accuracy), then
the 5-axis scanner moves into position to
commence scanning. Meanwhile, the ro-
bot moves to another zone to retrieve the
part that the scanner has nished scan-
ning, places it on the output conveyor,
picks up a new part and repeats the cycle.
Several technologies were adopted and
optimized for use in SAUL. Chief among
them is M2Ms integration of the surface-
adaptive algorithm into its ultrasonic
phased-array controller. The patented
technique was originally developed by the
Commissariat lnergie atomique (CEA)
in France for systems used to inspect the
steel walls of reactors, containment ves-
sels and other components in nuclear
power plants.
The alternative to SAUL is to use
curved arrays to inspect parts with com-
plex shapes, such as hat stiffeners and
stringers, that include convex and con-
cave radii. This approach is problematic,
however, because it requires extremely
precise and consistent positioning of the
Algorithm enables shape-corrected scans
For the surface-adaptive ultrasound inspection technique, the specimen shape is
measured from the front-surface echoes, and then an iterative algorithm is applied to
adapt the time delays in real time to obtain normalized, shape-corrected scans.
Phased-array probe
Time delays
Incident wave
adapted to the
surface geometry
Flaw
Composite
specimen
Simulated defects for testing
A carbon-fiber bike steering column tube was molded with release film discs (above) to
simulate delaminations of <0.25, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 inch in diameter (see photos, p. 34).
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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3 5
on the y, in real time, she says. Its a
dream come true for designers and man-
ufacturers because now you can truly
optimize strength-to-weight on a centi-
meter to centimeter basis, and efciently
inspect the part youve built. Thus far,
the program is exceeding its inspection
time goal of one part every four minutes,
with an actual inspection rate of one part
every 2.5 minutes.
Laser ultrasonics gaining
commercial acceptance
Like phased-array ultrasonic imaging
technology, laser ultrasonic inspection
systems have been on a development
curve that has spanned several decades.
In the 1990s, Tecnar Automation Lte (St-
Bruno, Quebec, Canada) became the rst
licenser of large-scale, commercial, in-
dustrial laser ultrasonic technology used
for inline wall-thickness measurement of
seamless steel tubes. Lockheed Martin
is credited with commercializing the rst
laser ultrasonic NDI test system for com-
posite part inspection. Today, the technol-
ogy, as it pertains to composites, is closer
to new applications in the commercial
aerospace market. Companies that sell
laser ultrasonic units for composite com-
ponent inspections include Tecnar, iPho-
ton Solutions (Fort Worth, Texas) and PaR
Systems (West Shoreview, Minn.), which
took over the technology developed by
Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, Md.) for the
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
In a generic conguration, a laser ul-
trasound device comprises two lasers.
One is a short-pulsed laser that generates
an ultrasound wave in the surface of
the composite material; the second is a
single-frequency, high-coherence-length
beam focused on or near the point of
impact of the generation beam on the
surface of the material. Any ultrasonic
surface displacements that occur are en-
coded as frequency or phase variations
in the reected or backscattered light
and are then converted into pulse-echo
signals by an optical interferometer.
The principal advantage of laser ultra-
sonic inspection is that the generation
laser beam does not need to be per-
pendicular (90) to the material surface.
The angle of incidence can, in fact, be as
great as 45. The inspection point (where
the two lasers meet on the part surface)
is indexed point by point over the mate-
rial with an optical scanner to produce
2-D and 3-D ultrasonic images of the
Curved array test results
To demonstrate the surface-adaptive algorithms ability to compensate for changes in
surface geometry, a curved ultrasonic array was precisely positioned over a bike steering
column tube (top left and bottom left images), then offset by 3 mm (top right). When the
array was moved, the B-scan signal was lost (bottom center), but the surface adaptive
algorithm, when applied to the ultrasonic array, restored the signal (bottom right).
material. Because the scanner does not
have to maintain a specic or consis-
tent distance from the part surface, the
system achieves inspection turnarounds
on parts with complex shapes faster
than those obtained with conventional,
water-based ultrasound NDI systems
that require upfront programming of the
part shape into the scanner controller.
Although laser ultrasonic NDI technol-
ogy has been used in a variety of mili-
tary and aerospace programs, including
NASAs Space Shuttles, it has yet to be
fully qualied for large-scale commercial
airline programs.
Supplier iPhoton Solutions manufac-
tures a line of three CO
2
laser ultrasonic
NDI systems for composites inspection.
The companys iPLUS III model is cur-
rently undergoing qualication trials at
Technocampus (Pays de la Loire, France)
as one of the key components of a non-
contact NDI system called LUCIE (see
opening photo, p. 32), developed in col-
laboration with Airbus Nantes (Nantes,
France) and EADS Innovation Works (Ot-
tobrunn, Germany).
Tommy Drake, iPhoton CEO, reports
that the key differentiator of the com-
panys patented NDI technology is the
use of commercial off-the-shelf articu-
lated robots mounted on linear rails
to move and position the optical scan
head, rather than a large custom gan-
try robot like those employed in other
laser ultrasonic systems. Drake claims
the integration of commercial robots
reduces the systems footprint, instal-
lation foundation requirements, in-
stallation time and cost. The iPLUS III
system for Technocampus LUCIE has
a 6-axis KUKA robot capable of pen-
etrating more than 6m/19.7 ft into the
interior of demonstrator fuselages now
undergoing inspection as part of the
program. Drake says the inspection rate
of the system is about 64 ft
2
/hr (about
6 m
2
/hr). A single inspection area
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FEATURE / NONDESTRUCTIVE INSPECTION UPDATE
mately 56 inches by 76 inches (1,422 mm
by 1,930 mm). Each featured a 16-ply
laminate and included cocured hat-sec-
tion stringers and shear ties. The panels
were fabricated from T800 unidirectional
prepreg (Toray Composites America Inc.,
Tacoma, Wash.) and autoclave cured. The
panels are representative of laminates
used on transport-category aircraft.
Simulated hail impact testing was con-
ducted on the panels using 2.4-inch/61-
mm ice balls and 2-inch/51-mm diameter
steel-tip impacts. Using its iPLUS III laser
ultrasonic NDI system, iPhoton conduct-
ed a C-scan inspection of the rst panel,
the results of which are shown and ex-
plained at the top of this page. As HPC
went to press, Sandia was completing its
testing report. However, iPhoton presi-
can be fairly large, for example, 5 ft by
5 ft [1.52m by 1.52m], during which the
robot remains stationary, he says. The
robot can then be indexed to another
inspection area.
Clay McConnell, VP communications
at Airbus North America (Herndon, Va.),
says the benets of LUCIE compared
to other NDI systems (including those
equipped with ultrasonic phased arrays)
are the elimination of the coupling me-
dia (water) and programming and tooling
associated with keeping the scan head in
precise position relative to the surface.
McConnell says the validation program
is on track, and researchers expect to com-
plete the evaluation of the benets (laser
vs. other ultrasonic systems) in 2014. We
need rst to understand the way the laser
interacts with each specic carbon ber
laminate used in the manufacturing of
Airbus aerospace parts, he says. After
this qualication process, there will, of
course, be other activities to improve the
performance of the technology scan-
ning speed, quality of signal, etc.
Recently, iPhoton inspected com-
posite test panels subjected to impact
testing for the Federal Aviation Admin.s
(FAA) Airworthiness Assurance NDI
Validation Center at Sandia National
Laboratories (Albuquerque, N.M.). Tests
performed by Sandias Infrastructure As-
surance and Non-Destructive Inspection
Dept. will produce data that will be used
to evaluate a variety of NDI technologies.
Sandia fabricated two full-scale car-
bon-ber fuselage sections, approxi-
Hail impact test simulation
Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque,
N.M.) simulated hail impact on full-scale CFRP
fuselage sections like this 56 inch by 76 inch
(1,422 mm by 1,930 mm) panel. Time-of-flight
(TOF) C-scans, conducted with an iPhoton
Solutions (Fort Worth, Texas) iPlusIII laser
ultrasonic inspection system yielded images like
the one at right: Round blue areas correspond
to ply delaminations. Smaller blue areas were
created by steel-pin impacts, while the larger
blue areas are caused by ice-projectile impacts.
Conventional (non-laser induced) ultrasound
(UT) is generated by an element (transducer)
made of a piezoelectric material that converts
an electrical pulse into a mechanical vibration,
which, in turn, induces ultrasonic waves in a
test specimen. Any time there is a change in
acoustic impedance such as occurs with a
delamination or void some of the acoustic
energy is reected. The waves that are reected
back to the transducer are converted into a raw
electrical signal, measuring amplitude vs. time
(think of a seismogram).
For phased-array systems, the probe is
composed of multiple elements, which can
independently transmit and receive. Time
delays are applied to different elements of the
probe to focus, steer and scan the beam across
the surface. In the medical eld, you can get
most of the transmitted ultrasonic energy into
our bodies because we are mostly water, but
because there is little change in impedance,
signal post-processing is often necessary to
obtain high-resolution images, says Deborah
Hopkins, BERCLI Corp. (Berkeley, Calif.). With
composites, the issue is strong attenuation
caused by inhomogeneity and anisotropy of the
material, so you lose energy as a function of
distance traveled. Hopkins says most phased-
array ultrasonic applications operate in the
range of 2 to 15 MHz.
S I DE S T ORY
ABCs of ultrasonic inspection
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LEARN MORE
@
www. composi tesworl d. com
Read this article online at http://short.
compositesworld.com/Pdqh3KXg.
This keeps the laser beam in a near-nor-
mal conguration as it scans the part,
even on curved surfaces. It greatly simplies
the analysis of the signal, Blain says,
noting that many aeromanufacturers are
uncomfortable with all the renormaliza-
tion calculations performed during con-
ventional laser ultrasonic scans.
The accelerated use of composites in
aerospace, and the requirement that
manufacturers inspect all parts before
delivery, guarantees NDI a place in the
aerostructures supply chain. But the
speed and cost of manufacture are head-
ed in opposite directions, which means
that NDI systems must ultimately pro-
vide greater accuracy and efciency.
These have not been NDI hallmarks in
the past, but suppliers are clear about
the need and are developing systems
that promise to reach those goals.
dent Marc Dubois reports the total time
for the inspection was about 45 minutes,
which included preparation, and the data
was considered of the highest quality.
Dubois says that iPLUS systems could
appear in production facilities within two
years, noting that the time span is due to
the fact that the process for new technolo-
gy approval on commercial aircraft can be
more difcult than for military programs.
It takes a lot of time and effort to get a
new technology qualied, Dubois says,
but adds, Its worth it, because we think
our technology can reduce inspection
cost by a factor of 10 for complex parts.
In October 2012, Tecnar entered into
an agreement to assist the Beijing Aero-
nautical Manufacturing Technology Re-
search Institute (BAMTRI, Beijing, China)
as it develops a knowledge base in laser-
ultrasonic composite inspection.
Because BAMTRI is a research insti-
tute, they are not looking for an indus-
trial system, such as our Laser Ultrasonic
Inspection System (LUIS), but rather at
smaller laboratory-scale systems we of-
fer, such as the TWM model, says Marc
Choquet, Tecnars VP, Laser-NDE. He con-
tinues, We are still in the initial stages
of the agreement and exchanging infor-
mation and looking for funding. Also
in 2012, the company delivered its rst
industrial-scale laser ultrasonic NDI sys-
tem, LUIS-2, to the Centre Technologique
en Arospatiale (CTA, Saint-Hubert, Que-
bec, Canada), which collaborates with
aerospace industry on research projects.
Jacques Blain, Tecnars VP of systems
and technology, reports that the compa-
ny has taken a different approach in the
design of the CTAs LUIS-2 model. Blain
says that when the laser is scanning at
angles of incidence greater than 30, the
analysis of the resulting signal for de-
fects, such as porosity, can be problem-
atic. When scanning a surface, and the
laser goes, say, from 0 (perpendicular)
to 30, the absolute level of light inten-
sity may vary easily by an order of magni-
tude, he explains. At these higher angles,
surface reectivity and roughness have an
effect on signal calibration, which needs
to be renormalized as it moves across the
surface. Instead of renormalizing signals,
the LUIS-2 system is equipped with a
small probe mounted on the robotic arm,
and a scanning trajectory derived from
CAD data is programmed into the robot.
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3 8
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H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / CERAMIC-MATRIX COMPOSITES
C
eramic-matrix composites (CMCs)
comprise a ceramic matrix rein-
forced by a refractory ber, such as
silicon carbide (SiC) ber. CMCs of-
fer low density, high hardness and
superior thermal and chemical resistance.
That and their intrinsic ability to be tailored
as composites make CMCs highly attractive
in a vast array of applications, most nota-
bly internal engine components, exhaust
systems and other hot-zone structures,
where CMCs are envisioned as lightweight
replacements for metallic superalloys.
Yet, despite more than 20 years of
R&D, commercial successes for CMCs
have been largely limited to missile
structures, radomes and exhaust sys-
tems for ghter jets. Nevertheless, ma-
jor development programs are currently
underway, and there is growing invest-
ment in production-scale manufactur-
ing. CMCs might well be at their tipping
point.
Today, CMCs can be produced using a
number of fabrication processes: chemi-
Lightweight, hard and stable
at high temperatures, CMCs
are emerging from two
decades of study and
development into
commercial applications.
CERAMIC-
MATRIX
COMPOSITES
HEAT UP
Into the hot zone and beyond
In January 2013, a successful 73-hour jet engine test was conducted on a Rolls-Royce Trent
1000 jet aircraft engine, with a Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Boeing Research & Technology
(BR&T)-built ceramic-matrix composite (CMC) acoustic exhaust nozzle installed, at NASAs
Stennis Space Center (Miss.). CMCs are proving advantageous not only in engine hot sections
but also in other applications previously dominated by superalloy metals.
By Karen Wood
Source: The Boeing Co.
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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3 9
cal vapor or liquid phase inltration, hot
press sintering techniques and polymer
inltration and pyrolysis (PIP). In addi-
tion, reinforcements can come in many
forms: continuous bers, short bers,
whiskers, particles or a combination. In
fact, research has shown that low fracture
toughness and crack growth resistance
can be overcome through secondary rein-
forcement phases with particles, whiskers
or even brous structures like nanobers.
As an example of the latter, ANF Tech-
nology Ltd. (Tallinn, Estonia) is com-
mercially producing a trademarked alu-
minum oxide nanober, called NAFEN,
that reportedly can improve the ductility
of CMCs, keeping Youngs modulus high
while increasing creep resistance and
decreasing brittleness.
Ceramics customers currently work-
ing with NAFEN are hoping for improve-
ments in fracture resistance, impact
toughness, abrasion resistance and
structural reinforcement, says Tim Fer-
land, business development manager at
ANF Technology. He reports that there
are programs in place with several global
accounts that are testing or planning to
test the material with CMCs, although
he adds that adoption of CMCs has been
slow compared to the use of NAFEN
ABCs of CMC production
During manufacture of
CMCs at GEs Newark,
Del. facility, the process
begins much like any other
composite, but after layups
are cured in the autoclave
(top photo), organic
compounds are burned off
(middle photo), leaving a
near-net-shaped part made
of porous ceramic-coated
SiC fibers. These parts
are then placed in a melt
infiltration chamber where
silicon is reacted with the
remaining carbon to form
the CMC (bottom photo).
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FEATURE / CERAMIC-MATRIX COMPOSITES
in polymer composites and polymer
paints and coatings.
Theres a lot of ground-swell activity
going on, and as the industry becomes
more knowledgeable about, and com-
fortable with, CMCs, the growth will con-
tinue, says Scott Richardson, general
manager of CMC component manufac-
turer COI Ceramics Inc., an afliate of
space systems developer ATK (both in
San Diego, Calif.).
According to Todd Steyer, a manager
at The Boeing Co.s Huntington Beach,
Calif., operation, factors behind the
timeliness of CMC development include
stable properties and increased produc-
tion volumes of ceramic bers (oxide
and nonoxide), a maturing supplier base
that is using established manufacturing
processes, and good performance results
from full-scale demonstrators and proto-
types. Steyer, who reviewed aerospace-
related presentations from the 4
th
Inter-
national Congress on Ceramics in the
American Ceramic Societys (ACerS)Inter-
national Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology
(July 2013), serves as vice chair of the U.S.
Advanced Ceramics Assn.
In fact, the demand for CMCs is expect-
ed to increase tenfold over the next decade,
according to jet engine and aircraft sys-
tems manufacturer GE Aviation (Newark,
Del.). GE made its intentions regarding
CMCs clear in June when it announced
plans to build a $125 million, 125,000-ft
2

(11,613m
2
) manufacturing plant in Ashe-
ville, N.C., to produce CMC engine com-
ponents (see Learn More, p. 45).
Many people view GEs move as a
game changer for CMCs. GE has done
more than just talk about CMCs; it made
a serious commitment, says Tom Foltz,
director of business development of
Specialty Materials Inc. (Lowell, Mass.),
which manufactures SCS-brand silicon
carbide bers. It could have as much of
an impact as anything related to appli-
cations on the future of the technology,
he adds. GE is going to be leading and
pulling everyone along with them.

CMCs in the hot zone
GEs Global Research Center (Niskayuna,
N.Y.) and GE Aviation, with its pilot-scale
production facility in Delaware, have
been developing and producing CMC
technology both the material and the
machines used in its manufacture for
more than 20 years. The company tested
a CMC turbine blade in GEs F414 engine
in 2010 and also ran CMCs in the hot sec-
tion of its F136 engine. More than 1 mil-
lion hours of testing have been logged,
including more than 15,000 hours in
land-based gas turbines that are gener-
ating electricity. The company believes
the material is ight-ready.
SiC CMCs can withstand tempera-
tures greater than 2400F/1316C. This
and their reduced weight (one-third the
weight of nickel superalloys) make them
attractive to engine manufacturers that
are looking for weight reduction in the
engine hot zones in pursuit of greater
fuel efciency. Additionally, CMC com-
ponents have greater durability and heat
resistance and, therefore, require less
cooling air than the nickel-based super-
alloys that currently dominate gas tur-
bines and jet engines.
Removing cooling air allows a jet en-
gine to run at higher thrust and/or more
efciently, GE Aviation claims. Incorpo-
rating the unique properties of CMCs on
a turbine engine increases engine dura-
bility and reduces the need for cooling
air. These gains improve combustor ef-
ciency and reduce fuel consumption.
Todays high-efciency jet engines
emit hotter exhaust gas hot enough
to exceed the limits of traditional mate-
rials, such as titanium and superalloys.
In jet engine propulsion history, the
average rate of technology progress for
turbine engine material temperature ca-
pability has increased 50F/10C per de-
cade, according to GE. However, with the
introduction of CMCs, GE believes it will
increase material temperature capability
by 150F/66C in this decade alone.
Currently, the CMC high-pressure
turbine shroud (a stationary ring that
encircles the moving blades on the sec-
ond stage of the high-pressure turbine)
Oxide CMC record-setters
The center body of the CMC exhaust nozzle molded
for Boeing Research & Technology (BR&T, Huntington
Beach, Calif.) is the longest oxide CMC part ever made
(left), and the nozzle (the outer ring, above) is the largest
diameter oxide CMC ever made.
CMC on track to
commercialization
CLEEN team mem-
bers at The Boeing
Co. (Seattle, Wash.)
inspect a CMC
nozzle prior to engine
testing. The nozzle
will soon be installed
on a 787 Dreamliner.
Flight tests are
expected in late
2013, with service
beginning in 2016.
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for the much-publicized Leading Edge
Aviation Propulsion (LEAP) jet engine
has undergone more than 20,000 hours
of testing. It could mark the rst use of
CMCs in a commercial engine. The LEAP
engine is being developed by CFM Inter-
national, a joint venture between GE and
Snecma (a subsidiary of Safran, Cour-
couronnes, France). Its rst ight is ex-
pected in 2016.
The use of CMCs reportedly allows GE
to shed hundreds of pounds of engine
weight and improve thrust by 10 percent.
The CMC shroud weighs approximately
1 kg/2.2 lb one-third the weight of an
equivalent nickel superalloy shroud.
In terms of design, the weight savings
multiplier effect is much more than 3:1
because everything down the chain is af-
fected as well.
GE froze the design of the rst two ver-
sions of the LEAP engine in June 2012.
The LEAP-1A for the Airbus (Toulouse,
France) A320neo began ground testing in
September 2013 and is on track to enter
service in 2016.
GE also is studying the use of CMCs for
a variety of applications beyond the LEAP
engine, including a CMC turbine blade
upgrade on the F414, which powers the
Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Hin-
dustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL, Bangalore,
India) Tejas light combat aircraft. Within
the 2016-2018 time frame, GE expects to
mold up to 800 CMC components per day
to meet current CMC commitments.
CMC acoustic nozzle
GE isnt the only company turning to
CMCs for commercial jet hot zones. CMC
components, including a turbine blade
track and an acoustic engine exhaust
nozzle, are in development as part of the
Federal Aviation Admin. (FAA) Continu-
ous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise
(CLEEN) program. The ve-year, jointly
funded R&D effort is focused on airframe
and engine technologies that speed the
reduction of aircraft engine fuel burn,
emissions and noise.
Boeing Research & Technology (BR&T,
Huntington Beach, Calif.) has led devel-
opment of the acoustic nozzle, which is
designed to make engines quieter, lighter
and more efcient. The reason compa-
nies like Boeing have begun looking at
alternative materials in the exhaust area
is due to increasing temperatures, con-
rms ATK-COIs Richardson. Existing
material solutions may not be able to
Precision & durability
This radial bearing with precisely
machined lubricating grooves
(left) was manufactured using
CeraComp carbon-reinforced
CMC, from Lancer LP (Allentown,
Pa.), which reportedly prevents
crack propagation.The bearing
is targeted at down-hole drilling
pumps. Lancer also manufactures
CMC components for a variety
of other markets, including
weapon systems. Shown here
(right) is a lightweight CMC rifle
compensator with integrally
threaded pressure vents.
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that. The nozzle will be installed next on
a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Flight tests are
expected in late 2013, with commercial-
ization later this decade.
More CMCs ahead for engines
Elsewhere in engine development, specif-
ically for narrow-body jets, Pratt & Whit-
ney (P&W, East Hartford, Conn.), a United
Technologies Corp., isnt as bullish about
CMCs. The company has taken a decid-
edly different approach in handling ther-
mal management, preferring to focus on
the advanced cooling provided by its
variable bypass engine, with adaptive
fan design, and advances in nickel alloys.
In fact, P&W has openly questioned the
maturity of CMCs for aircraft engines and
whether they will pay off in the short to
medium term. Still, the company points
to a long-term goal of resolving what it
sees as cost and reliability issues with
CMCs and believes the materials have the
potential to enable gear-based turbofans
to operate with greater fuel efciency.
Rolls-Royce, on the other hand, has
taken the plunge with its recent purchase
of Hyper-Therm HTC Inc. (Huntington
Beach, Calif.), which manufactures CMCs,
such as C/SiC and SiC/SiC. We expect
CMCs will revolutionize the weight and
performance of engines that currently
rely on single-crystal super alloys found
in todays most advanced engines, says
John Gallo, Rolls-Royce North Americas
executive VP of operations.
Hyper-Therm has been working with
CMCs for more than a decade. And al-
though much of the current develop-
ment and testing in CMCs has been
CMC precursor
CMC supplier MATECH (Salisbury, Md.) is able to synthesize both SiNC
(silicon nitro-carbide), shown here in spools, and SiC preceramic polymer
and has scaled up its process to low-rate initial production.The preceramic
polymer can be spun into green fibers and pyrolyzed into SiNC or SiC
ceramic fiber.MATECH, which also weaves its own textiles, uses chemical
vapor infiltration to manufacture CMCs in-house. A photo micrograph (SEM)
shows the companys SiNC fiber in a CVI deposited SiC matrix.
meet thermal requirements in the coming
years. Given that reality, Richardson says
of the acoustic nozzle, This is the largest
component ever made in oxide CMCs,
and marks a signicant feat for CMCs.
Although BR&T conceived the vision
and developed the design for the nozzle
system, it contracted with ATK-COI to
manufacture and deliver the two large
CMC components that make up the
nozzle. The outer ring, called the nozzle,
measures approximately 5.25 ft/1.6m in
diameter and is about 3 ft/1m long; the
tail cone, which sits inside the front end
of the nozzle, is approximately 7 ft/2.1m
long (see photos, top of p. 40).
In terms of manufacturing, Richardson
explains that he and his team look at the
process simplistically. Its generally akin to
a polymer-based composite material in
the front end, he explains. Typically, you
can use the same kinds of techniques in
terms of forming anywhere from hand
layup to resin transfer molding. ATK-COI
built the BR&T nozzle components using
hand layup, after which the parts were
cured. Thats typically where a polymer
composite would be nished, Richard-
son notes. In the case of CMCs, at this
stage it must be converted to ceramic,
which is done through either sintering or
pyrolysis. In this case, ATK-COI used a
sintering process.
The material system included a contin-
uous lament alumina ber (Nextel 610)
from 3M (St. Paul, Minn.). ATK-COI mixes
the matrix, or slurry, material in-house,
and Boeing supplies the core material.
A major program milestone was
reached in January 2013, when the noz-
zle was installed on the back of a Rolls-
Royce (Reston, Va.) Trent 1000 engine
rig at NASAs Stennis Space Center in
Mississippi for accelerated testing (see
photo, p. 38). The nozzle performed as
expected during the 73-hour engine test,
with no thermal or structural stress is-
sues. In terms of service life, Richard-
son notes, the specications asked for
55,000 hours, which is what we tested
to. Predictions indicate that the nozzle
could continue in service well above
SiC woven preform
Specialty Materials
Inc. (Lowell, Mass.)
manufactures a large SiC
monofilament (SCS Ultra),
which is shown here as
a woven preform on the
companys loom. Though
the material doesnt lend
itself to complex-shaped
parts, it does offer high
creep resistance at high
temperatures.
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done using small-diameter yarns (10 m
to 15 m diameter), Hyper-Therm has
collected considerable data on CMCs
reinforced with a large-diameter silicon
carbide monolament, specically SCS-
Ultra, from Specialty Materials.
SCS-Ultra SiC ber was initially de-
signed for use in titanium aluminide
metal-matrix composites, but it is report-
edly effective in CMCs as well. Produced
primarily in 5.6-mil diameters, SCS-Ultra
contains very ne SiC crystallites (200
nm or less) and is stable at temperatures
of 2500F/1371C and higher.
A large monolament like ours
doesnt lend itself to complex-shaped
parts, admits Specialty Materials Foltz.
Yet, from a materials standpoint, we
have the highest creep resistance at high
temperatures of any SiC ber. To date,
the material has been used mainly to
mold jet engine vanes and blades.
Notably, Hyper-Therm was contract-
ed by the Marshall Space Flight Center
(Huntsville, Ala.) to devise a cost-ef-
fective methodology for manufacturing
axisymmetric CMC structures. This led to
the development of the rst-ever actively
cooled, continuous ber-reinforced SiC-
matrix composite thrust chamber for
liquid rocket propulsion systems. These
devices are cooled with cryogenic liq-
uid hydrogen to protect against com-
bustion environments that are capable
of reaching temperatures greater than
6500F/3593C. Hot-re testing was per-
formed at NASA Glenn.

CMCs for ultrahigh temperatures
For applications that face the most ex-
treme environments such as leading
edges for hypersonic and supersonic ve-
hicles that must withstand temperatures
in excess of 2000C/3632F, corrosive
atmospheric plasma and the shock of
extreme temperature variations typi-
cally nonoxide, ultrahigh-temperature
(UHT) CMCs are required. Although
much of the development work in the
CMC industry has focused on oxide
CMCs, nonoxides can be well suited for
applications in solid rocket motor pro-
pulsion systems; missile structures and
thermal protection systems; and proles
for hypersonic and supersonic vehicles.
Whereas silicon-based or oxide CMCs
are targeted at applications that require
longer life (100,000 hours of cycle time
and more), ultra-high-heat CMCs are
employed where temperatures are much
hotter but the mission durations are
a lot shorter, explains Dr. Edward J.A.
Pope, CEO of MATECH (Salisbury, Md.),
a manufacturer of both oxide and nonox-
ide bers and CMC components.
Nonoxides are characterized by low
porosity, wear resistance, high matrix
density and extremely high-temperature
capability, explains Bill Meiklejohn,
president of Lancer LP (Allentown, Pa.).
They display the highest heat handling
capability of all CMCs and derive much
of their mechanical performance from
the matrix, he adds.
Our ultrahigh-heat CMC materials are
designed for temperatures greater than
3000F [1650C] and reaching 5000F
[2760C], says Pope. There arent really
many material systems of any kind that
can withstand that temperature range,
except for gas-heavy refractory metal al-
loys, he continues, but those are heavy
and can become ductile at the high-end
of the temperature range. Plus, our
We offer a range of high-end core
materials for aviation, marine and mass
transit. They all perform well in high
temperature processing and operating
environments. In sandwich panels with
appropriate skins, they meet FAR 25.853
requirements.
Each grade is suited to a variety of
uses. In brief, R82 can be used for
Our advanced applications core materials
are really going places.
commercial aviation interiors and has
excellent dielectric properties for
radomes. C71 applies to general aviation
and mass transit interior structures, as
does recyclable T90.60 PET foam
for producing highly-economical interiors.
SORIC FR is ideal for resin infusion, and
Baltek balsa offers yet another choice.
Contact us for details.
Europe / Middle East / Africa:
Airex AG
5643 Sins, Switzerland
Tel. +41 41 789 66 00
corematerials@3AComposites.com
Asia / Australia / New Zealand:
3A Composites (China) Ltd.
201201 Shanghai, P.R. China
Tel: +86 21 585 86 006
corematerials.asia@3AComposites.com
EXCELLENCE IN
CORE SOLUTIONS
www.corematerials.3AComposites.com
North America / S. America:
Baltek Inc.
High Point, N. Carolina 27261 U.S.A.
Tel. +1 336 398 1900
corematerials.americas@3AComposites.com
4 4
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / CERAMIC-MATRIX COMPOSITES
material has the advantage of being very
lightweight in comparison. MATECHs
nonoxide CMCs range from 2 to 3 g/cm
3

compared to 10 to 22 g/cm
3
for oxide
CMCs.
The reportedly impressive qualities of
UHT CMCs do come at a price. They are
generally processed via chemical vapor
deposition, and the raw materials can
cost 10 times as much as oxide-based sys-
tems, according to Meiklejohn. Nonoxide
systems also require signicantly longer
processing times than oxide systems.
We work primarily with the missile
defense industry in ultrahigh-temper-
ature applications, says Pope. Other
UHT materials developed by MATECH
include tantalum carbide (TaC) ceramic
ber and a hafnium carbide (HfC) ce-
ramic ber. Both are suitable for solid
propellant rocket nozzles. The compa-
ny also produces oxide materials and
other CMCs for hot temperatures. With
funding from the Air Force Research
Laboratory (Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base, Ohio), the company developed a
stoichiometric SiC ceramic ber, which
is targeted at nuclear-fuel-clad tubes
in light water reactors, gas turbine hot-
section components and hypersonic
leading edge materials. The company
also produces silicon nitride/silicon car-
bide (SiNC) bers that are melt spun in
continuous 50- to 500-lament tow. Re-
portedly, the SiNC bers have improved
creep resistance and are chemically sta-
ble up to 1350C/2462F, with less than
2 percent oxygen content.
CMCs in petrochemical applications
Meanwhile, signicant research into car-
bon ber-reinforced SiC CMCs is yielding
promising materials for hard-use appli-
cations, where strength, durability and
ductility are every bit as important as
heat management. Earlier this year, for
example, Lancer purchased CeraComp,
a carbon ber-reinforced SiC CMC devel-
oped by Greene, Tweed & Co. (Kulpsville,
Pa.). We believe ceramics are going to
be a signicant growth opportunity for us
in the future, says Lancers Meiklejohn.
Lancer already uses CMCs in small arms
applications, with programs in place re-
lated to jet aircraft exhaust systems, and
the company is now expanding CMCs
into the oil and gas, chemical processing
and power generation industries.
CeraComp was designed for greater
fracture toughness, similar corrosion pro-
tection, and wear characteristics equiva-
lent to, monolithic SiC ceramics used
in sleeve bearings in magnetic coupled
pumps. OEM pump manufacturers have
used monolithic SiC bearings for station-
ary and rotating components in pumps
for decades. Although it has been the
preferred material, it is vulnerable to frac-
tures caused by thermal and mechanical
shock. A splintered piece of a fractured
bearing, because of its hardness, can lead
to catastrophic pump failure.
Using CeraComp, Lancer developed
a high-pressure, high-temperature CMC
bearing that it believes will have a longer
life. Carbon bers in the CMC prevent
crack propagation, improving impact and
thermal shock resistance. SiC particles
are included to enhance the stability of
the composite, improve wear resistance
and reduce shrinkage of the SiC matrix
during densication. The bearings are
currently undergoing eld tests.
Lancer also is nding applications
for CMCs in its ber-optics business.
Lancer supplies harsh-environment op-
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
4 5
tical connectivity solutions to the en-
ergy, aerospace and military markets.
The American Petroleum Institutes (API)
Specication 6A, which requires wellheads
used in oil and natural-gas extraction to
withstand 1800F/982C while maintain-
ing 5,000-psi pressure throughout, is
providing a new opportunity for CMCs,
says Meiklejohn. Conventional well-
heads arent surviving under the new
standards, he points out. In answer,
Lancer is building CMC containers that
encapsulate the wellheads and protect
them from heat. We received an order
within the last year to start a prototype
and will begin testing in a month.
Meiklejohn believes Lancer will nd
an advantage as it optimizes its CMC
manufacturing process, which uses PIP.
Were working to develop better chem-
istry to limit the amount of volatiles that
come off during burn-off cycles in order
to make the part denser after every PIP
cycle, he explains. Were also looking at
optimizing the burn-off cycles by deter-
mining the optimal ramp-up time, cool-
down cycle, and temperature. The more
we can shorten the cycle time, the more
cost-effective CMCs will become.
Over the next year, he adds, were
going to add people and were looking
at a new facility. A lot of that is wrapped
around the growth potential we see in
CMCs.

Roadblocks to overcome
A plethora of other CMC development
programs abound worldwide: vanes for
high-pressure turbines, advanced nu-
clear reactor components, self-healing
CMCs for aircraft engine blades and
vanes, structures for reusable thermal
protection systems and more. The ques-
tion is, how many of these programs will
result in commercial applications?
Barriers remain. The risk of introduc-
tion is the biggest roadblock, says ATK-
COIs Richardson. And the biggest part
of that is the customer having condence
in the material system.
CMCs are well suited for applications
in the aerospace and defense industries,
which are by nature conservative, says
Meiklejohn. Just as it took time to go
from metal to composites, it will take
time to go to CMCs [and] for people
to build condence in these materials.
Cost continues to be an issue. Ulti-
mately, as we move into production, the
volumes and the ability to work through
LEARN MORE
@
www. composi tesworl d. com
Read this article online at http://short.
compositesworld.com/WrsprzMm.
Read more about GEs Asheville plant in
GE Aviation announces North Carolina
composites facility by visiting http://short.
compositesworld.com/x4N4GeIh.
lean activities are going to be huge for
bringing down costs, says Richardson.
Meiklejohn agrees, adding, When
customers consider the time and cost
associated with CMC processing, it
slows down adoption of the material. If
we can get the processing time down, it
will open up a number of applications.
For now, everyone concurs that the in-
vestment by GE signals a changing tide
for CMCs one everyone is hoping will
help them all scale the barriers.
CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS:
ANDREW HEAD, President, A & P Technology Inc.
DOUG WARD, Consulting Engineer, Composites. GE Aviation
SPONSORED BY:
IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
Sponsorships and exhibit space are available!
Contact Kim Hoodin, Marketing Manager, khoodin@gardnerweb.com
Join us in Knoxville, Tennessee for Carbon Fiber 2013!
Dont miss this opportunity to learn from the industrys leading
innovators and network with decision makers and key
executives from all aspects of the carbon ber supply chain!
Plan to join us for a tour of Oak Ridge National Laboratorys
carbon ber manufacturing facility (optional).
REGISTER TODAY! YY!! DECEMBER 9-12, 2013
TO LEARN MORE OR REGISTER VISIT:
http://short.compositesworld.com/CF2013
LEARN!
CompositesWorlds Carbon Fiber 2013 is the Carbon Fiber
conference organized by composites industry professionals!
Since 1998 the Carbon Fiber conference has successfully
been bringing together the industrys leading executives and
technologists to explore the expanding role of carbon ber
in the composites industry.
NETWORK!
Nowhere else will you have access to this timely and pertinent
information and to the industrys top minds and innovators.
As you enjoy the catered networking functions at Carbon Fiber
2013 you will make invaluable contacts with the key executives
in the industry.
Pre-Conference Seminar*
Monday, December 9, 2013
Emerging Opportunities and Challenges for Carbon Fiber in Passenger
Automobiles Is the CFRP Industry Ready for Mass Production?
Presented by:
Chris Red, Principal, Composites Forecasts and Consulting, LLC
The seminar provides a grounds-up analysis of the market and
opportunities for CFRP within the 75 million vehicles per year passenger
vehicle market over the next ten years (2013 2022), with a special focus on:
Drivers and Limitations Inuencing CFRP Usage
Regional and OEM activity analysis
CFRP applications (body, chassis, drivetrain, brakes, interiors, etc.) analysis
Tier supplier activity
Manufacturing process considerations
CFRP component volumes and raw material requirements to support
forecasted automobile production.
*Separate fee required
REGISTER TODAY!

PRESENTATIONS INCLUDE:
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION:
Carbon Fiber Technology for Aerospace Today and Tomorrow
TIA BENSON TOLLE / Director of Advanced Materials,
Product Development / Boeing Commercial Airplanes
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION:
Future Opportunities for Advanced Automotive Composites
and Challenges to Implementation
PATRICK BLANCHARD / Technical Leader Composites / Ford Research
& Advanced Engineering
Carbon Fiber Composite Production for the LEAP Fan Module
BRUNO DAMBRINE / Composite Expert / SNECMA
Insight into the Cost Structure of Composite Manufacturing
Using Cost Modeling
ROBERT JUDD / Chair and Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering,
Director of the Center for Advanced Software Systems Integration /
Ohio University
Deconstructing the Carbon Fiber Marketplace
STEVEN CARMICHAEL / Director of Sales / Mitsubishi Carbon
Fiber & Composites
Opportunities and Challenges for Carbon Fiber in
the Wind Energy Industry
STEPHEN B. JOHNSON / Manufacturing Engineering Manager / GE Wind
3D Printing with Carbon Fiber Reinforcement
CHAD DUTY / Group Leader - Manufacturing Demonstration Facility /
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Producing Thermoplastic Matrix Composites for Aeronautical
Applications Under Industrial Scale Conditions
ANGELOS MIARIS, Premium AEROTEC GmbH
Analysis and Optimization of Composite Structures
Challenges and Opportunities
BRETT CHOUINARD, COO, Altair
Next Generation Carbon Fiber Composites:
Beyond Medium Volume
GARY R. LOWNSDALE, Chief Technology Ofcer, Plasan Carbon Composites
Alternative Precursors for Sustainable and Cost-effective
Automotive Carbon Fibers
HENDRIK MAINKA, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Automotive Light Weighting Opportunities & Challenges
PROBIR GUHA, Vice President, R&D
- and -
MIKE SIWAJEK, Director, Research,
Continental Structural Plastics
AND MANY MORE!
For an up-to-date agenda and abstracts, please visit:
http://short.compositesworld.com/CF2013
Crowne Plaza Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Presented By:
AFP/ATL Process Capabilities
Machine Programming and Simulation
Evaluating Component Producability
Comprehensive collection of technical content!
On-Demand Videos
The latest technology in action and
explained by industry experts!
Ask an Expert
Connect with and AFP/ATL expert for
quick answers to your questions!
CompositesWorld.com
Automated Tape Laying (ATL) /
Automated Fiber Placement (AFP)
Knowledge Center
AFP/ATL Process Capabilities
Machine Programming and Simulation
Evaluating Component Producability
Comprehensive collection of technical content!
On-Demand Videos
The latest technology in action and
explained by industry experts!
Ask an Expert
Connect with and AFP/ATL expert for
quick answers to your questions!
Get the information
you need on ATL / AFP today!
CALENDAR
CALENDAR
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
4 9
See more events at www.compositesworld.com/events
Nov. 5-7, 2013 Composite Pressure Vessel Symposium 2013
Hasselt, Belgium | www.cpvsymposium.com
Nov. 6-7, 2013 Chemical Processing Symposium 2013
Galveston, Texas | www.acmanet.org (click events)
Nov. 12-13, 2013 Composites Engineering Show 2013/
Automotive Engineering
Birmingham, U.K. | www.compositesexhibition.com
Nov. 13-14, 2013 SAMPE Tooling Design and Materials Overview for
Composite Manufacturing
Anaheim, Calif. | www.sampe.org/events/2-
daySAMPESeminar(17).aspx
Nov. 19-21, 2013 EWEA Offshore 2013
Frankfurt, Germany | www.ewea.org/events
Nov. 20-21, 2013 Manufacturing Composite Structures: Aerospace,
Commercial and Industrial Markets Seminar
Anaheim, Calif. | www.sampe.org/events/2-
daySAMPESeminar(18).aspx
Nov. 21-22, 2013 KOMPOZYT-EXPO Trade Fair
Krakow, Poland | www.kompozyty.krakow.pl
Dec. 9-12, 2013 Carbon Fiber 2013
Knoxville/Oak Ridge, Tenn. |
www.compositesworld.com/conferences
Feb. 24-26, 2014 SPE TOPCON 2014
Tucson, Ariz. | www.4spe.org, conferences/
webinars/events
March 11-13, 2014 JEC Europe 2014
Paris, France | www.jeccomposites.com/events/
jec-europe-2014
March 6-7, 2014 12
th
World Pultrusion Conference
Lisbon, Portugal | www.pultruders.com
April 1-4, 2014 13
th
European Conference on Spacecraft
Structures, Materials and Environmental Testing
Braunschweig, Germany | www.dlr.de/SSMET2014
May 5-8, 2014 Windpower 2014 Conference and Exhibition
Las Vegas, Nev. | www.windpowerexpo.org
Oct. 13-16, 2014 CAMX The Composites and Advanced
Materials Expo
Orlando, Fla. | www.thecamx.org
5 0
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
APPLICATIONS
APPLI CATI ONS
Software supplier aids parts producer with greater accuracy
Paul Crosby founded Crosby Composites
(Brackley, Northamptonshire, U.K.) 25
years ago when the use of composites in
Formula 1 (F1) racing cars was just begin-
ning. It was obvious that these materi-
als were an opportunity that would get
bigger, he remembers, so I started my
own company.
He introduced digital modeling and
CNC machining eight years ago, with
the help of software supplier Delcam
Plc (Birmingham, U.K.), despite his res-
ervations about cost. Starting with Pow-
erSHAPE for basic part and tool design,
Crosbys designers found it easy to learn
how to do complex modeling operations.
PowerMILL software that converts
CAD models to NC toolpaths for multi-
axis milling was adopted on a 30-day
trial, and Crosby never looked back.
Crosby says the software has helped
produce F1 composite parts to levels
of accuracy rarely seen in the industry.
Part tolerances between 0.1 and 0.25
mm (0.004 and 0.010 inch) are a key
differentiator for his business. Now a
third Delcam software suite is helping
ensure part accuracy. PowerINSPECT On-
Machine Verication software enables
rapid inspection of complex parts or
tools by comparing them with the CAD
model, and it is compatible with a variety
of coordinate measurement machines.
Crosby explains that machined holes
and pockets in carbon ber compos-
ites tend to be undersized because the
material relaxes slightly when cut, which
is difcult to predict because not all of
the bers are cut in the same orienta-
tion. To overcome this problem, the ini-
tial machining operation is followed by
inspection on the machine tool with Pow-
erINSPECT, which shows if material needs
to be removed while the required extra
toolpaths are easily generated in Power-
MILL. In addition to increased accuracy,
all machining and inspection can be com-
pleted on the machine tool on a single
xture, eliminating the need to move the
parts between xtures, which can affect
tolerances.
The rst set of 17 parts produced with
this method was tted onto a F1 race car
with no mists or rework, reportedly the rst
time for such an outcome in that FI
teams history.
S
o
u
r
c
e
:

C
r
o
s
b
y

C
o
m
p
o
s
i
t
e
s
NEW PRODUCTS
NEW PRODUCTS
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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5 1
Dry fiber tape placement with laser-based
thermoplastic consolidation
Fraunhofer IPT (Aachen, Germany) introduced at Composites Europe 2013,
in Stuttgart, Germany, a new automated tape placement (ATP) system that
employs lasers for the placement of
dry continuous ber tapes with in-situ
consolidation of thermoplastic resin
matrix. The system reportedly offers
out-of-autoclave processing, good
temperature control, layup rates of
about 1m/sec (3.3 ft/sec) and energy-
efcient diode lasers. An infrared cam-
era is used to control temperature at
the head, and tape is offered in widths
of 6 mm, 12 mm and 25 mm (0.24,
0.48 and 0.98 inch). Applications in-
clude open aerostructures, (wings and
fuselage sections); closed structures, such as pylons and pressure vessels;
tailored blanks; and composite repair. The system is being commercialized for
Fraunhofer by Advanced Fiber Placement Technology BV (AFPT, Sprang-
Capelle, The Netherlands). www.ipt.fraunhofer.de/en.html; www.afpt.nl
Laser heating for
automated fiber
placement
Automated Dynamics (Schenectady,
N.Y.) reports that it has developed a laser-
based resin heating technology for auto-
mated ber placement of thermoplastic
or thermoset prepregs. Called the Laser
Heating System (LHS), it replaces infra-
red (IR) heating systems that are nor-
mally used for placing thermoset-based prepregs, as well as hot-gas heating
systems that are used for placing thermoplastic-based prepregs. The system
reportedly offers several improvements over traditional heating systems:
Better process stability.
Fiber placement rates three to ve times faster than nonlaser systems (up
to 0.5m/sec or 1.6 ft/sec for engineering thermoplastics and 1.2 m/sec or
3.9 ft/sec for thermosets).
Closed-loop process temperature control, based on actual material surface
temperature.
Tighter process temperature control: 10C for thermoplastics and 3C
for thermosets.
Better heating efciency, which means more heat energy is transferred
directly to the prepreg.
Because laser energy is applied more efciently to the prepreg, and because
the closed-loop control keeps the surface temperature within a relatively small
Olefin yarn commingled with other fibers
Innegra Technologies (Greenville, S.C.) has introduced for composites the
new Innegra H line of bers, comprising high-performance olen yarn com-
mingled with other high-performance bers, including carbon, glass, basalt
and aramid. The ber is designed to increase durability and avoid the shat-
tering effect of current lightweight composites. The new bers can be used in
a variety of processes and in a broad range of applications within several in-
dustries. These range from creating lighter-weight and impact-resistant sport-
ing equipment to reducing the weight of automotive body parts. Innegra also
anticipates interest from the luggage, marine, ballistics and protective-apparel
industries. www.innegratech.com
Spread-tow product line extended
Chomarat (Le Cheylard, France, and Anderson, S.C.) reports that itis extend-
ing its line of carbon reinforcements with C-WEAVE SP, a new line of spread-
tow carbon fabrics for composite parts with high aesthetic performance
requirements, especially in the high-end automotive, sports and leisure, lug-
gageand telephone markets. C-WEAVE SP spread carbon fabric is made with
200 g/m
2
3K bers and is available in plain or twill weave. The fabric report-
edly achieves a 99 percentspreading rate (compared to what Chomarat says
is the usual average of 85 to 92 percent). At this rate, Chomarat says it is
possible to manufacture carbon composite parts with a surface layer that is
20 percentlighter (compared to 245 g/m
2
3K bers), with good surface qual-
ity and optimized aesthetics, performance and cost. Chomarat worked on the
choice of raw materials, the production process and quality control, all of which
are crucial selection criteria for this type of technically demanding product.
www.chomarat.com
window, Automated Dynamics says the overall energy consumption of the LHS
is about 60 percent less than hot-gas heating systems. Said to be proven
in a production environment simulated in the lab, the technology is currently
undergoing real-world production testing. The LHS will be a standard option on
all Automated Dynamics ber placement systems, and the company is working
with other ber placement system manufacturers to offer it as a retrot option
on their machines as well. www.automateddynamics.com
MARKETPLACE
5 2
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
MARKETPLACE
MANUFACTURI NG SUPPLI ES
Diamond and Solid Carbide
Technical Advice
Rotary Drills/Routers
Csinks/Hole Saws

Stock and Specials
Designed For Composites
www.starliteindustries.com
800.727.1022 / 610.527.1300
To advertise in the
High-Performance Composites Marketplace
contact Becky Helton:
bhelton@gardnerweb.com
or 513.527.8800 x224
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Website: http//:www.generalsealants.com
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Used world wide by composite manufacturers
Distributed by:
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Tel: (714) B99B1CC Faz: l714 B99B179
Website: http//:www.airtechintl.com
Manufactured by:

PO Box 3855, City of Industry, CA 91744


RECRUI TMENT
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www.forcomposites.com
Composites Industry Recruiting and Placement
COMPOSITES SOURCES
Phone (225j 273-4001 Fax (225j 275-5807
P.O. Box 40086, Baton Rouge, LA 70835
Email: contact@forcomposites.com
Ultrasonic C-Scan Inspection Systems
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
5 3
SHOWCASE
SHOWCASE
PRODUCT & LITERATURE
CINCINNATI
TESTING
LABORATORIES
A Subsidiary of
Metcut Research Inc.
Machining & Testing
of Advanced
Composite Materials
Email: info@cintestlabs.com
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1775 Carillon Blvd., Cincinnati, Ohio 45240
Phohe: 800/811-9220 Fax: 513/851-3336
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ADVERTISERS INDEX
A&P Technology Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
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Airtech International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Baltek Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Barrday Composite Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
BASF Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Burnham Composite Structures Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CAD Cut Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CGTech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover
Coastal Enterprises Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
De-Comp Composites Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Fabricating.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Ferry Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Fives Machining Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Janicki Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Knoxville Oak Ridge Innovation Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Lancer Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
LMT Onsrud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
M Torres Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Magnolia Plastics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover
Matrix Composites Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
McClean Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Nordson Sealant Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Norplex Micarta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
North Coast Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Northern Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Precision Fabrics Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Sandvik Coromant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
SGS Tool Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Superior Tool Service Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TE Wire & Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Torr Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
TR Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Wabash MPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Weber Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
WichiTech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Wisconsin Oven Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Wyoming Test Fixtures Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Zyvex Performance Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
FOCUS ON DESIGN
5 4
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S 5 4
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
T
here has been much talk in the
aerospace industry over the
past few years about the po-
tential for use of thermoplastic
composites in the aerostruc-
tures of future aircraft. Indeed, R&D
efforts are underway in the U.S. and
in Europe to assess the viability of
a variety of carbon ber-reinforced
thermoplastics in everything from
wing structures to fuselage sections
to empennage components. If, and
how much, thermoplastics will actu-
ally be used in primary and second-
ary commercial aerostructures remains to
be seen. In the past decade, Airbus SAs
(Toulouse, France) decision to incorporate
thermoplastic composites into wing lead-
ing edges (see Learn More) was big news,
but was also the exception.
That said, thermoplastic composites,
carbon and glass ber-reinforced, have
already won their way into commercial
aircraft interiors in a variety of applica-
tions some structural, such as brackets
and clips, and some semistructural. An
example of the latter, and a testimony to
the lengths aircraft OEMs are now willing
to go to lightweight their aircraft to en-
hance fuel economy, is Triumph Com-
posite Systems (Spokane, Wash.) con-
tinuous ber-reinforced thermoplastic
smoke detector pan. The tray-shaped
composite component (see photo, p.
55) is inverted and installed in the air-
craft ceiling in many places to provide
a mounting space for onboard smoke
detectors.
Triumph converted the pan from a
hand layup/vacuum bag design. Its
molded from a four-ply 0.045-inch/1.1-
mm thick PEI blank supplied by Ten-
TRIUMPH COMPRESSION
MOLDED RTP SMOKE
DETECTOR PAN
15 vertical wall
draft angle
3 inches/
76 mm
part depth
Radiused corners
prevent ber
breakage/wrinkling
Dimensions (LxW) vary
with location
Blank thickness: 0.125
inch/3.2 mm (four plies
of glass ber/PEI)
Total blank area:
320 in
2
/0.2m
2
COMPRESSION MOLDING MASS
Compression molding is fast and effcient, but continuous-fber design requires
DESIGN RESULTS
Compression molded smoke pan
designed for conversion from 2-D to
3-D form.
Hat angle and plateau optimized to
prevent part from shrinking against
mold surfaces.
Angle changes optimized with radii to
minimize ber wrinkling and maintain
structural integrity.
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
|
5 5
Cate Advanced Composites USA (Mor-
gan Hill, Calif.) under the Cetex brand.
The total surface area of the pan is 320
in
2
/0.2m
2
and it features a hat section
that is 3 inches/76 mm deep. Although
the pan is glass-reinforced, it illustrates
many of the same design lessons Tri-
umph has learned working with continu-
ous carbon ber.
Housed in a facility once occupied by
a unit of The Boeing Co. (Chicago, Ill.),
Triumph is a prolic compression mold-
er. Nick Busch, R&D engineer at Triumph,
says the companys smoke pan is a good
example of what has become Triumphs
specialty converting labor-intensive,
long cycle-time thermoset-based com-
posite parts to highly automated, short
cycle-time thermoplastic-based com-
posites that are manufactured, primarily,
via compression molding.
Bigger than it looks
Why go to the trouble for a part so small?
The appeal of thermoplastics is under-
standable: Ease of handling, ease of pro-
cessability, recyclability, toughness and,
notably, no lengthy and expensive cure
in an autoclave. Further, aircraft interiors
present unique challenges that revolve
primarily around re, smoke and toxicity
(FST) mitigation: In case of a crash or on-
board re, aircraft interior components
must not only resist burning, but must
also self-extinguish after ame source
is removed. According to U.S. Federal
Aviation Admin. (FAA) standards, most
aircraft interior components must not
allow a ame burn length of more than 8
inches/203 mm. Further, after removal of
the ame source, the ame on the com-
ponent may not persist for more than 15
seconds.
Compression molding, too, has
strong appeal, particularly for aero-
space manufacturers who are frustrated
by the process inconsistencies inherent
in hand-layup, autoclave-based mold-
ing processes. Compression molding
of thermoplastics typically starts with a
preconsolidated blank, usually consist-
ing of several plies of carbon or glass
ber fabric (unidirectional or woven) ori-
ented to meet the mechanical require-
ments of the application. The reinforce-
ments are infused with a thermoplastic
resin, which in aerospace applications is
likely to be an engineered material: poly-
etherimide (PEI), polyphenylene sulde
(PPS), polyetheretherketone (PEEK) or
polyetherketoneketone (PEKK).
Although preconsolidated blanks can
be manufactured in-house, they also are
available from established third parties.
Triumphs pan blanks, for example, are
supplied by TenCate Advanced Com-
posites USA, and vary in size, depending
on the size of the nal part. The molder,
then, can order and receive raw materi-
als with a dened and consistent ber
volume fraction and thickness. Addition-
ally, RTP blanks, unlike thermoset pre-
preg, require no refrigeration and can be
stored at room temperature indenitely.
2-D becomes 3-D
In preparation for molding at Triumph,
a blank is usually placed in a frame or
attached to a carrier sheet that helps
keep the blank properly positioned
and oriented in the mold. Frames and
carriers also offer cycle-to-cycle posi-
tional consistency, a key factor in part
repeatability. Next, the blank, on its
frame or carrier, is transferred roboti-
cally to a preheater (infrared or other
heat source) that heats the blank to
more than 600F/315C, thereby soften-
ing it in preparation for molding. The
time required for preheating depends
on the size and thickness of the blank
(usually 0.010 to 0.250 inch or 0.254 mm
to 6.35 mm), as well as the resin type,
but can take as long as 10 minutes. After
preheating, the blank is shuttled into a
mold (the mold tools are held at an el-
evated temperature, typically below the
T
g
of the material), which immediately
closes on the blank and forces the now-
soft material to assume the shape of the
mold. Robotic handling systems and a
prescribed, consistent preheating pro-
cess also ensure repeatability.
After forming, the part is cooled to
harden the matrix and then demolded.
Typically, and unlike a thermoset
From flat blank to
trimmed pan
The smoke detector pan
begins as a flat sheet of
continuous fiber-reinforced
thermoplastic resin (right)
that cam be formed via
compression-molding, into
the pans complex shape
(above.)
Source: Triumph
OUT OF AIRCRAFT INTERIORS
BY JEFF sLOAN
ILLUSTRATION / KARL REQUE
optimization to avoid wrinkles and shrinkage.
From flat blank to
trimmed pan
Th k d
Source: Triumph
FOCUS ON DESIGN
5 6
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
composite part, a thermoplastic blank
is designed with sacricial material on
its edges to provide a gripping surface
for the positioning frame. This material
is removed postmold via machining or
trimming to bring the part to its nal di-
mensions. (Also, Busch points out, any
porosity problems in thermoplastic parts
tend to occur near those edges.) This
step can be followed by drilling and/or
other nishing steps.
Design challenges
As with every composites manufacturing
process, compression molding is ideal
for some applications, but not all. Un-
dercuts, sharp angles and complex cur-
vatures are at best difcult if not occa-
sionally impossible. Further, converting
an existing part from infusion or a simi-
lar process to compression molding, as
Triumph does regularly, is more compli-
cated than simply transferring CAD les.
Because compression molding in-
volves the conversion of a at, effec-
tively 2-D blank into a complex 3-D part,
there are, says Triumphs Busch, certain
design rules that must be followed and
limitations that must be respected. The
rules grow out of the fact that the pro-
cess induces forces that tend to produce
ber bending, stretching, buckling and
wrinkling during the conversion from at
to contoured forms. Many of these prin-
ciples are illustrated in the smoke pan,
which presents several challenges that
were met by not readily obvious design
solutions.
First, says Busch, with the exception
of L- or C-brackets, vertical part walls
are strongly discouraged because, as a
thermoplastic material cools, it shrinks
and grabs tooling surfaces. A part with
vertical walls thus tends to grip the mold
surface against which it was formed,
making part removal difcult. The rule of
thumb is to design vertical walls with a
draft angle of at least 2. We like drafted
walls better than vertical walls, he says.
As is apparent in the illustration on p. 55,
Triumphs smoke detector pan features a
hat section with 15 slopes. Further, says
Busch, any hat or pyramid shape like the
one on the smoke pan should terminate
in a at surface and not reach a peak.
Second, because continuous glass and
carbon ber tend to wrinkle and buckle
when formed around highly concave or
convex surfaces, and because such wrin-
kling compromises the structural integ-
rity of the part, angle changes must be
carefully designed and managed. On the
smoke pan, for example, a prescribed,
curved radius is used to transition ber
and material from one angle to another
at the top and the bottom of the hat sec-
tion, minimizing stress on the ber and
maintaining structural integrity.
When you go from 2-D to 3-D, says
Busch, you have to think about what
happens when something goes around a
corner.
Triumphs design software is used to
simulate ber bending as much as pos-
sible, but, says Busch, usually we just
rely on trial and error. As a result, Tri-
umph has developed extensive and pro-
prietary design guidelines that help the
company optimize a design for thermo-
plastic compression molding.
Another factor Triumph has to con-
sider, says Busch, is the processing
temperature of the resin. Some thermo-
plastics require temperatures as much
as 100F/38C hotter than others, which
adds time to the heating cycle. In addi-
tion, with so much heat buildup in the
part, managing part cooling becomes
a more critical concern so as to avoid
postmold warpage.
Ultimately, notes Busch, one of the
great limiting factors that prevent aero-
space parts manufacturers from embrac-
ing thermoplastic compression molding
is tooling cost. But, he says, you have
to look at the full picture to see what the
value is. Such value is built into every
stage of the process: High automation,
short cycle times and enviable process
consistency. Busch says that for the
smoke pan, the cost/benet cutoff for
compression molding is about 115
parts/month. Further, Triumph requires
only two blank congurations to mold
10 unique part numbers. Most impor-
tantly, the smoke detector pan under-
scores the greatest benet of conversion
from a thermoset layup-based to com-
pression-molded version: a production
cycle time savings of 75 percent a fac-
tor any aircraft designer will nd not dif-
cult to convert to a dollar value.
Compression mold at the ready
The compression mold, with the forming
tool at top (note the generous draft on
the tools vertical surfaces) awaits the
arrival of the continuous fiber-reinforced
thermoplastic blank.
Trim and fit
Shown here after trimming to final
dimensions, the pan is ready for drilling and
finishing steps.
LEARN MORE
@
www. composi tesworl d. com
Read this article online at http://short.
compositesworld.com/tYWKsp2h.
CFRTP is used, for example, to form the
wing leading edges on the Airbus A320/340
and A380 aircraft. See Thermoplastic
composites gain leading edge on the A380,
HPC March 2006 (p. 50) or visit http://short.
compositesworld.com/A0RYPVJa.
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Demolded and ready for trimming
Cooled and demolded, the part shows the
marginal material that permitted the blank to
be suspended and held in precise alignment
with the tool prior to mold closure.
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Photos courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense 2010 Magnolia Plastics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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